What’s hip this August

Back in the day…

There was punk rock.  Live Aid founder and Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof is quoted as saying: “Rock music in the Seventies was changed by three bands: The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and (Brisbane band) The Saints”. The original Ramones – Johnny, Joey, Dee Dee and Tommy (all pseudonyms) – played their first show in New York music club CBGB, in the Bowery neighbourhood of Lower Manhattan, on August 16, 1974. They were instrumental in taking punk to the masses. It wasn’t just about the music, it was their vibe. And generations of fashionistas and hipsters since then didn’t need to know the lyrics to I Wanna Be Sedated, Blitzkreig Bop (“Hey, ho, let’s go!”) and Sheena Is A Punk Rocker to wear The Ramones T-shirt.

What to book

THE King’s Birthday long weekend will see the stunning grounds of Jimbour Station, north of Dalby, come alive with the Big Skies Festival. The 2024 festival from October 3-7 includes two days of live Aussie rock and country music performances featuring The Screaming Jets, Brad Cox, Killing Heidi, Kaylee Bell, Deborah Conway, Mick Lindsay and more. Special events include the new Canapes Under the Stars, the sell-out Sunset Dinner and Jimbour House Tours, plus the Bunya Mountains Escape Tour and Western Downs Energy Discovery Tour. Camp onsite within walking distance of all the action or take advantage of transfers from Dalby. For festival information and tickets, visit bigskiesfestival.com.au

What to play

PICKLEBALL is considered the fastest-growing sport in the world, and on the rise in Australia. Anyone who has ever had a game of tennis, badminton or table tennis is likely to enjoy this low-impact, paddle-and-ball sport that is played on a hard surface indoors or outdoors. A pickleball club has just started up at Buderim Mountain State School with three courts in the new hall and six outdoor courts on Main Street. Head to Facebook and search for ‘Petrie’s Pickleball Club Buderim’. The Brisbane Pickleball Club (brisbanepickleballclub.com) hosts tournaments for spectators to get a handle on easy-to-master rules and basic strategy, and also offers regular come-and-try sessions at venues across the city.

IMAGE: Peter Joli Wilson The Blind Sea Pty Ltd

What to watch

IF YOU need more feelgood, inspirational stories in your life, head along to the cinema from August 15 for The Blind Sea. Four-time para surfing World Champion Matt Formston rides a 50ft wave in the new feature-length documentary, setting a Guinness World Record for the largest wave surfed by a vision-impaired male. Formston was diagnosed with macular dystrophy, a rare eye condition, at the age of five, that left him with three per cent vision and a desire to do what everyone else says can’t be done. An avid surfer since his childhood in Narrabeen, Formston took up the opportunity to go head-to-head with the world’s biggest and most dangerous waves at Portugal’s infamous Nazaré. Tickets are on sale now at Event Cinemas, Hoyts, Village Cinemas and leading independent theaters.

What to stream

THE person who received the largest ticker-tape parade in New York City history wasn’t Babe Ruth or any other  Yankees baseball star. It was US Olympic swimmer Trudy (Gertrude) Ederle, born in 1905 to German immigrants. The 20-year-old was the first woman to complete the 21-mile crossing of the English Channel. Her time of 14 hours and 31 minutes on August 6, 1926, was faster than any of the five male swimmers who had crossed the Channel before her, setting a world record for men and women. An estimated two million people lined the streets in New York City on her return home to celebrate the remarkable feat in unforgiving jellyfish-infested waters and harsh conditions that kept her from swimming a straight route and added miles to the journey. Stream Young Woman and the Sea, on Disney+, for the full, incredible story.