Cronulla plugs into the Sounds of the Suburbs

Sounds of the Suburbs returns to Cronulla for the third year in a row.                    Image: Jack Bennett Photography.

With the third annual Sounds of the Suburbs slated for September, Cronulla is well and truly plugged into the Gen Z zeitgeist for the jam-packed festival with the "warm and scuzzy vibes". 

Forget, for a moment, any visual clichés you have in mind about Cronulla.  Next, turn your back to the beach, don a colourful wristband and floppy hat and join the invading hordes at Sounds of the Suburbs, where it will be wiggle-room only in Wilbar Lane on September 27.

Sound of the Suburbs is the little laneway festival that dared to dream big.          Image: Jack Bennett Photography.

Everyone is welcome at the little laneway festival says Aaron Girgis, one of the co-founders of the music festival that showcases a growing alternative scene that has been bubbling up in Cronulla over the past decade or so.

Sounds of the Suburbs keeps the warm and scuzzy vibes alive.              Image: Jack Bennett Photography

"It's everyone's dream to start a big laneway festival isn't it? Three years ago, we were like, 'Let's do this' and we're so lucky that Sutherland Shire Council have been so super supportive and been behind the festival from day one. The community has also embraced us from the start," says Girgis.

'This is our opportunity to show the people of Sydney that there is another scene and another world that exists out here in the Sutherland Shire," he says.

Sounds of the Suburbs is one of the more intimate events on the festival circuit.                 Image: Jack Bennett Photography

Girgis and local street artist Jack Irvine are also behind Space 44, an independent gallery and creative hub that is now regarded as the community's space as much as it is their own. The pair have also teamed up with Geoff Trio and Jad Nahkle, co-owners of The Brass Monkey Cronulla and El Sol Mexican Cantina, who have been involved in the evolution of the local music scene for a decade.

A snapshot of Sounds of the Suburbs 2015.                                                   Image: Jack Bennett Photography 

It was after fielding feedback from the locals who attend their monthly exhibitions that the duo decided to stage an event that celebrates local musicians as well as international acts that will perform exclusively at the music festival.

Space 44 is on song with Cronulla's Sounds of the Suburbs festival in September.  Image: Jack Bennett Photography.

"People are starting to sit up and take notice of Cronulla. We knew after starting Space 44 that there were hundreds of people into art and boutique music and an alternative scene and we're so proud to bring some of these bands here for a big celebration," he says.

Sounds of the Suburbs is where art, music and fashion collide.                Image: Jack Bennett Photography.

At larger music festivals, 800 people might be queued to use the Portaloos. By comparison, with its at-capacity crowd of 800, Sound of the Suburbs feels more like a wild house party.

Sounds of the Suburbs is attracting party heads from all around the country.                       Photo: Jack Bennett Photography.

It's a formula the tightknit coterie of artists seem to appreciate with acts such as Brisbane indie duo Holy Holy sharing the stage with international acts such as The Garden, White Fang and The Memories presented by cult record label Burger Records and travelling all the way from Orange County in LA.

Celebrate the sunshine at Cronulla's Sounds of the Suburbs 2015.          Image: Jack Bennett Photography

With just three stages and 21 bands, the fact that the intimate festival is a nod to the Sound of the Suburbs song released by The Members in 1979 is reason enough to support Sounds of the Suburbs. "Sounds of the Suburbs has all the warm and scuzzy vibes to mark the perfect start to Australia's festival season," says Girgis.

Locals love the laidback beach vibe at Sounds of the Suburbs.               Image: Jack Bennett Photography

WHEN: September 27, 2015
WHERE: Wilbar Lane, Cronulla
DON'T MISS: The three international acts The Garden, White Fang and The Memories as well as Brisbane indie folk band, Holy Holy. I Am Apollo and hip-hop act Citizen Kay are a few of the stellar local acts on the lineup.
WHAT IT WILL COST: $65.30
PRO TIP: Catch a train to Cronulla and save your cash for beer and Mexican food from El Sol.
BUY TICKETS: www.soundsofthesuburbs.com.au
NEXT MONTH: Another sneak peek of Australian Music Week.
 
To read more of my articles visit www.carlagrossetti.com or subscribe to the Visit the Shire blog.

Sounds of the Suburbs is so intimate it has the feel of an off-the-chain house party. Image: Jack Bennett Photography.

Cronulla joins the music festival circuit

The Brass Monkey will be in the spotlight during the inaugural Australian Music Week in Cronulla.

Cronulla will crank up the volume this summer when it presents the inaugural Australian Music Week and HiFi Days Festival from November 18-22. One of the organisers of the event, Geoff Trio, says the five-day festival will culminate in HiFi Days, which includes internationally renowned act UB40, as well as Australian acts The Bamboos (with Tim Rogers), Phil Jamieson (Grinspoon), The Snowdroppers, Caravana Sun and indie four-piece Fripps & Fripps.

UB40 headlines the bill at HiFi Festival, presented by the inaugural Australian Music Week in Cronulla. Image: Supplied

As the co-owner of two of the best live venues in the Shire - the Brass Monkey and El Sol - Trio has been instrumental in the growth of the Shire's live music scene. But despite his industry knowledge and connections through his role running a music label and touring company for local and international artists, Trio says the response he has received has still come as somewhat of a surprise.

"The response and support we have received has been overwhelming. We want this to be an annual event and the plans are to grow it every year and to eventually take it to the world stage and the feedback we have had has been so incredibly positive that we are confident we can achieve that," he says.

Trio believes Cronulla's chilled-out picturesque vibe of beach and bay will provide the perfect backdrop for a week of grooving in the sunshine, with up to 150 local and international artists appearing everywhere from the Brass Monkey, to the Sting Bar, JDs and El Sol as well as the centre mall stage and several cafes.
 

The stage will be set at El Sol to host a diverse range of acts during Australian Music Week. Photo: Carla Grossetti

Trio says the celebration of live music also doubles as a mega music industry conference designed to spark conversation and connections between everyone from industry executives and recording professionals to up-and-coming artists and music lovers.  

Do The Stomp with the Snowdroppers during Australian Music Week's presentation of HiFi Days.  Image: Supplied

As well as bringing together musos from a multitude of genres such as contemporary soul, rock, blues, indie, country and folk, there will be a series of interactive Q&As and workshops featuring speakers such as Andy Cassell, co-owner and founder of Winterman & Goldstein (Jett, Empire of the Sun, Something for Kate, The Preatures) and Chloe Goodyear, head of programming at the Woodford Folk Festival.

Sutherland Shire band Fripps & Fripps has been invited to perform during HiFi Days. Image: Supplied

Trio says artists are invited to showcase at Australian Music Week in front of some of Australia's most influential and successful agents, venue bookers, managers, labels. Applications close on August 14, 2015. All bands that apply to AMW will be able to opt in for automatic consideration for Captured: Australia, a short film festival pairing up eight emerging filmmakers with eight emerging artists. 

The event will also feature food stalls that have sprouted in the Shire with pop-up coffee bar from Grind Espresso, Arabian-inspired cuisine from Yalla Sawa and pizza from AVPN-accredited Queen Margherita of Savoy.

Phil Jamieson, who is a founding member of Grinspoon, and is now flying solo.

AUSTRALIAN MUSIC WEEK - November 18-22
Conference passes: 2 DAY Conference & 3 NIGHTS Showcases - $93.50 + booking fee
November 21 Saturday Youth Conference only - $34.50 + booking fee

GIG TICKETS
3 NIGHTS GIG TICKETS - $45 + BOOKING FEE
November 19-21

2 NIGHTS GIG TICKETS - $35 + BOOKING FEE
November 19-20, 20-21 or November 19 and November 21

1 NIGHT GIG TICKET - $20 + BOOKING FEE
Thursday, November 19
Friday November 20
Saturday November 21

GOLD PASS TICKET - costs $175 and includes full access to conferences on November 19 & 20, showcases November 19-21and general admission to HiFi Days November 22. Tickets on sale now from www.australianmusicweek.com For more information on Australia Music Week visit www.australianmusicweek.com
www.facebook.com/AustMusicWeek

HiFi DAYS
WHEN: Sunday November 22 from noon-8pm.
GETTING THERE: Gunnamatta Park is located 50m from Cronulla Train Station.
TICKETS: Adults: $89 plus booking fee; kids aged 3-13 $45; on sale through www.oztix.com.au
WEBSITE: www.hifidays.com and http://australianmusicweek.com

5 Healthy Hot Spots in Cronulla

Cronulla now has more healthy eating outlets that you can poke a posy of kale at. The public's passion for paleo, raw, vegan, vego, gluten-free has resulted in a plethora of cafes where the shrubbery on your plate is not a garnish or afterthought: it's the main event. Here are a few of the best nutritional kids on the block.

Join the hordes at Pilgrim's for a healthy start to the day.

Pilgrim's Vegetarian Cafe
Detox pilgrims will find a lot of foods containing antioxidants on the menu at Pilgrim's Vegetarian Cafe. If you've joined the queues of dreadlocked hippies and beanie-clad hipsters at the Huskisson or Milton caffs you will know why this earthy eatery has a cult following. This is not the place to grab and go. Instead, sit and chill.

Pendant lights, polished floors, potted plants pretty up this original Art Deco space.

Take a seat beside one of the sash windows in the lovingly restored Art Deco space and flick through a few alt mags while waiting for a Bliss Burger or, my personal fave, the Millenium, which is made with all manner of immune-boosting ingredients such as beetroot, fried onions, avocado, sprouts pepped up with tahini sauce and sweet chilli dressing (#Ididntquitsugar) spooned over a curry lentil patty.  It's a wholesome albeit carb-heavy package ... but it's also the size of one's head so go slow. Note: Pilgrim's is now open Friday and Saturday nights for vego feasts with a Mexican flavour.
Pilgrim's Vegetarian Cafe, 97 Gerrale St, Cronulla. 02 9523 7580.

The Bliss Burger will pull you into a state of perfect happiness at Pilgrim's.

Nutrition Station
P is for Paleo. It's also for protein smoothies and protein balls. Join the queue of devotees of the paleolithic diet dragging their knuckles straight from the gym to the Nutrition Station, which you will find clinging to the 'skirts of Cronulla Plaza.

These sweet potato fries provide a guilt-free snack post-surf.

Jokes about emulating our heavy-browed ancestors aside, there's no monkeying about with the menu: here you can get sweet potato fries, juices, fibre-heavy snacks and a bracing cup of organic java.

Nutrition Station is all about lean and clean guilt-free food that is low on calories.  

If you're not into consuming your calories through a straw in the form of processed protein shakes, opt for zucchini linguine in basil pesto or the Atlantic salmon on sweet potato mash with green beans. If you're going to order the quinoa salad with grilled haloumi puhlease ask an unsuspecting hipster how to pronounce it first: 'It's kin-wa."
Nutrition Station, Unit 4/30 Kingsway, Cronulla. 02 8544 3036.

Mint Organics is the sort of cafe that makes you feel good about yourself.

Mint Organics
Mint Organics is a pretty little cafe that sustains many locals who live on the west side of the South Cronulla peninsular. The cafe took over the space that was home to a convenience store and restocked its shelves with all things organic. After filling your basket with packaged healthy foodstuffs, sit and snack on food that looks, feels and tastes restorative.

Motivational quotes are a bonus at Mint Organics.

Try one of the freshly squeezed juices, an immune-boosting shot of turmeric, lime and ginger, coffee with nut milk or healthy(ish) appetisers such a green power ball or coconut rough. Of the substantial paleo-inspired mains, lamb salad mounts a convincing argument for a life lived organically with the freshness of the ingredients bolstered by texture and taste. If you want to ramp up those feelings of righteousness arrive at the restaurant wearing a sweat band after your morning run.
Mint Organics Cafe, 24 Nicholson Parade, 9523 0499. www.mintorganics.com.au

Take a shot at eating lean, clean and green at the Heart & Soul cafe in Cronulla.

Heart & Soul
Cronulla is not exactly a hippie heartland. But even the fake tan brigade has embraced this cafe serving wholefood breakfast, lunch and early dinner options. It's Harmony Day every day at Heart and Soul Organic Chai Cafe, where orange is the new black. The ayurvedically minded menu is all about eating well and feeling good. Run by the Hari Krishnas of Govinda Valley Retreat, there are haute healthy options such as black rice and chia seed pudding served with berries and coconut cream, vegan choc caramel slice, berry smoothies and pumpkin soups.

Heart & soul likes nothing better than to nourish its customers with hearty, healthy wholesome food.

Popular are the mix of curries - cashew curry, green curry and chickpea curry - which are served in silken sauces and flecked with fresh herbs. Sit crosslegged while you finish with a mellow cup of house-crafted chai and contemplate signing up for that yoga retreat.
6/17 Gerrale Sts, Cronulla. 02 9523 6146. www.heartandsoulcafe.com.au

And that's a wrap: workout your jaw muscles chatting to your trainer about your new shredding regime at So Fresh.

So Fresh
Gym junkies on the go converge at So Fresh for a fresh juice and chicken pesto wrap when they are in recovery mode post-workout. The garden shed-sized space is smack-bang in the centre of the pedestrianised part of Cronulla Plaza.

Vegetable and fresh fruit juices are the order of the day at So Fresh in Cronulla Plaza.

Most recently, the independent juice bar has started collaborating with Taylor Made personal training by offering a plethora of lean, green juices for its 42-day clean and lean challenge.

Shiny happy staff at So Fresh are a walking advertisement for the product.

The tiny juice bar is big on brain food, aiming to optimise your noggin's ability to function at its best, with food and drink offerings containing dark chocolate, bananas, red cabbage, berries, seeds, wild salmon. The roasted beetroot and lentil salad is also an energising option.
So Fresh Cronulla Beach, Kiosk 2, Cronulla Beach. 

To read more of my articles, subscribe to my website: www.carlagrossetti.com

Queen Margherita of Savoy: all fired up

Lee and Sharon Carroll, of QMOS, at restaurant Brandi, Naples, where the pizzaioli who created the margherita worked.  

Over the past few years, I have done the rounds, so to speak, steering my family everywhere from Leichardt to Lane Cove in search of some of Sydney's best pizza. Imagine my delight then, after an early-evening walk about eights months ago, when I noticed a local shopfront window in Cronulla with a laminated certificate stamped by the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana stuck onto glass doors plastered in sheets of newspaper.  

I read with interest the accompanying newspaper article about local chef Lee Carroll, who had participated in a three-week training course in Napoli in March 2013 and was set to follow the stringent set of rules required to receive accreditation from the association. While in Italy, Carroll also worked around the clock at a pizzeria in Naples, to gain work experience. Mamma mia!

Lee Carroll's white-hot ambition in action at Queen Margherita of Savoy, Cronulla.     

White-hot ambition
As pizza purists in the know will tell you, accreditation from the AVPN is the stamp of approval that indicates that the pizzaioli (person who makes pizza) is sticking to the rules when it comes to 'due pizza-making processes'.  The fact that this Australian chef had travelled to Italy to learn how to make traditional Neapolitan pizza told me he was very serious about complying with pizza protocol. 

The Queen's Banquet ... at Queen Margherita of Savoy. 

Lee Carroll has earned his pizzaioli's stripes.

Say fior de latte
For non-Italians, this rigorous procedure may sound a bit over-the-top. But what it does ensure is that by adhering to the guidelines - which include a very precise method of manipulating the dough, to the cheese used in the preparation of pizza margherita, to the ingredients used to make the dough and the method of proving and then cooking the dough - the ancient traditions of 'verace pizza Napoletana' (true Italian pizza) are kept alive.

A passion for pizza
I stuck my head around the door and found chef Lee Carroll busy sending white puffs of flour into the air beside a glittering wood-fired oven. Lee appreciated my reverence for what he was trying to do and we riffed about pizza, Italy, that oven and where his passion for good pizza began.

"I took one bite from a slice of pizza at Pizza Mario 10 years ago and it changed my life. I've aspired to own a pizzeria ever since," says the 40-year-old, who sports rock-star sleeves of tatts and earned his chef stripes working at local restaurants such as Sea Level and the Blue Parrot.

Giulio Abussi is a Napoli native who helps man the pizza pans at Queen Margherita of Savoy. 

Red, white and green
Fast-forward eight months since my first meeting with Lee and his wife Sharon - who manages the floor - and Queen Margherita of Savoy is on fire. Well the inside of the Stefano Ferrara Forni oven is, at least.  The name of the pizzeria pays homage to the Queen consort of the Kingdom of Italy (1878 to 1900) during the reign of her husband, Umberto. As legend has it, in 1889, Queen Margherita visited Naples and summoned the best pizza maker of the time, Raffaele Esposito, to prepare three pizzas for her. Her favourite pizza turned out to feature the red (tomatoes), green (basil) and white (cheese) colours of the Italian flag. When the queen asked Raffaele the name of the pizza, he said: "Margherita, in your honour."

It can't hurt the QMOS brand to have Neapolitan native Giulio Abussi working alongside Carroll in the kitchen helping to peddle an average of 150 pizzas per day. Carroll met the 25-year-old in Italy when he employed him as a language assistant to help him understand the training course, which is presented in Italian. The pair became firm friends and Carroll recognised that the young Italian had an intense theoretical understanding of Neapolitan pizza.

Queen Margherita of Savoy has a relaxed and comfortable vibe, conducive to chatter and noise.

"It struck me very early in the piece that Giulio knew so much theory. He worked for the AVPN as an interpreter, he’d been to the flour factory, he had met the tomato growers, has good friends who have pizzerias, and he was very giving with his knowledge. He knew everything from the ground up and shared my desire and passion to deliver the best possible product. He'd also worked at his friend's pizzeria in Naples," says Carroll, who is seeking to sponsor his offsider to extend his stay in Sydney. 

Watch chef Lee Carroll and offsider Giulio Abussi in the cut-out kitchen at QMOS. 

Naples: A way of love.

At your service.              Photo: Deidre Worsley.

The margherita pizza is food fit for a queen.                                                             Photo: Deidre Worsley.

The staple in Naples
"Giulio is a joy to have as a secondhander. It's so difficult to find talent when it comes to making proper Neapolitan pizza," says Carroll. Carroll describes the AVPN as "a glorified franchise" and he says that with the utmost respect. Part of the rules surrounding accreditation include the requirement to make a 40-minute video that follows him step-by-step through the process of making pizza. "Earning accreditation will be recognition that what we are doing is being done with integrity and pride. It will be a vote of confidence," he says.

The wood-fired oven takes pride of place in the rustic, dimly lit dining room, which features a black-and-white chequered floor, copper tones and dark timber. The theatre of watching this pair of pizzaiolis is part of the fun and it's the sort of dining room where you expect noise and clatter.

Lee Carroll's dream to open a pizzeria was no pie in the sky.                                                   Photo: Deidre Worsley.

Fire up
As for the product itself, my family have hoovered up many margheritas and that interplay of fire and dough and tomatoes and cheese is consistently fabulous. The dough comes out with that high and fluffy edge that has the right kind of chew and char and is so soft and pliable you could stuff a duvet cover with it. 

When just cooked, the taste of the tomatoes and cooked mozzarella and basil is intense and harmonious and a chorus of 'oohs and aahs' fills the small space, which also sells takeaway pizza. I've seen Carroll and Abussi in the kitchen together many times since that first meeting and their success says as much about the Shire's ever-improving food scene as it does about the quality of the product.

Carroll says what he loves most about Italian food is its simplicity. "Italian food is really primal. Cucina povera got people through world wars. Instead of surviving on awful food, they made the most of cheap cuts of meat and preserved food to make it last all year. I love the respect that they show for good food and great ingredients," says Carroll.

Christmas Carrolls .... Cute Christmas lights at QMOS are in the shape of triangles of pizza.

Carroll is not reinventing the wheel. But he has done much to shape local understanding about what constitutes an authentic Neapolitan pizza. Pizza posturing aside, it's really worth giving his pizzas a whirl. To read a review of QMOS, visit Good Food where fellow food writer Angie Schiavone recommended it for the Good Food Under $30 section of the site.

The dough has been properly rested and has the right amount of chew and char.

Pizza with principles
Highlights on the QMOS menu include the proscuitto cotto e funghi freschi (tomato, fior di latte, leg ham, mushrooms, garlic and parmigiano reggiano) from the pizze rosse section and the salsiccia e rapini (fior di latte, pork and fennel sausage and broccoli) from the pizze bianche. 

Antipasti and arancini.     Photo: Deidre Worsley.

The menu also includes insalata, antipasti, salumi and fritture (fried morsels) and the arancini make cameos on the specials board. Pizzerias with AVPN accreditation in Sydney include: Gigi, in Newtown, Lucio's Pizzeria, in Darlinghurst, Pizza Mario, in Surry Hills and Aperitivo in Leichardt. There are also many more pizzerias that, though they don't have accreditation, do a great job of earning a crust. Following are a few more of my favourites: Via Napoli in Lane Cove, Frankie's Pizza, Rosso Pomodoro, in Balmain, Hugo's Bar Pizza in King's Cross, Pompei's in Bondi, Vacanza, in Bronte and PizzAperta, at The Star. 

Take the AVPN quiz to see if you understand the principles of neapolitan pizza and tell me where you go to find a slice of pizza heaven. 

Queen Margherita of Savoy is located at Shop 9, 2-8 Surf Rd, Cronulla. For bookings, phone 02 9527 4992. Open Mon-Sun 5pm till late. Note: QMOS is looking to recruit another master neapolitan pizza-maker.