Bianca Del Rio, Sydney Gaymers: What’s On In Queer Sydney

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief SK Global’s “Thai Cave Rescue” series faced almost as many obstacles as the specialist divers drafted to bring out 12 boys and their coach from a waterlogged grotto in summer 2018 in front of a blaze of media attention and an expectant Thai nation. The show debuts on Netflix on Thursday, a timing that means it follows three feature-length depictions and multiple news media specials retelling the watery events. It is also the retelling that is most closely associated with the Thai government, which auditioned prospective production companies and streamers and has carefully held the real-life rescued youngsters close to its chest.

A NSW Supreme Court jury  on Thursday held Hamdi Alqudsi guilty of allegedly plotting to carry out attacks on Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and other places as leader of the terrorist group ‘Shura’. The court has scheduled Alqudsi’s sentencing over two days starting October 31, reported the Sydney Morning Herald. Alqudsi was the first Australian to be convicted and sentenced to eight years imprisonment in 2016 for his role in sending young men from Australia to Syria to help  Islamic State fighters in the country’s civil war. The prosecution case was that Alqudsi set up the Shura in 2013 and dubbed himself the “commander” and “emir” of the Shura. Shura means consultation council in Arabic.

Sydney is alive this week with events for queer people. With album launches to celebrate, cabaret shows to delight in and dances to attend, here’s just some of what’s on the menu in queer Sydney.Indie pop star Rina Sawayama’s sophomore album Hold The Girl releases Friday following support from singles This Hell, Catch Me in the Air and Phantom.

FIFA+ & Others License Football Doc ‘Brazil 2002: The Real Story’

Naman Ramachandran Collective Media Group and Entourage Sports and Entertainment‘s soccer documentary feature “Brazil 2002: The Real Story,” recounting the story of the 2002 World Cup on its 20th anniversary, has sold a raft of territories worldwide. The film uses six hours of unseen archive material shot by Brazilian soccer player Juliano Belletti during the tournament, and also features interviews with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu and Gilberto Silva from the World Cup winning Brazil team; and, from the opposing teams across the tournament, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Oliver Kahn, Hasan Şaş and Marc Wilmots as well as referee Pierluigi Collina. FIFA has taken the film for its own streamer FIFA+, for territories including Asia (excluding Japan), Turkey and New Zealand. This is complemented by deals confirmed by distribution partner Abacus Media Rights including: Canal+ Group for Canal+ Foot and myCanal (France); Sky Deutschland (Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg); Sky Italia (Italy, Republic of San Marino, Vatican City, Malta, Capodistria, Montecarlo and Italian speaking Switzerland); DBS Satellite Services (Israel and West Bank); Supersport Africa (for Africa); NOS Portugal (Portugal and PALOPs); Movistar Plus+ (Spain); and Stan Entertainment Pty (Australia).

You Me At Six have released a new collaborative single with Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds – listen to ‘No Future? Yeah Right’ below.The joint track was premiered on Daniel P Carter’s ‘Rock Show’ on BBC Radio 1 last night (September 12).Reynolds had described the anthemic, synth-heavy song as “a belter” in a previous post on social media. The collaboration arrives with a red-filtered official video, which you can watch below.‘No Future? Yeah Right’ follows on from You Me At Six’s previous single ‘Deep Cuts’.

This week in Queer Melbourne we have a platter of delicious options. Enjoy your fix of culture with intergenerational queer bonding, speed dating, theatre, burlesque and more.One Friday every month, the Motley Bauhaus is taken over by the campy, glitter streaked performers of the Melbourne burlesque scene. This month you’ll have the pleasure of watching Evana de Lune, SHAM, Celia Bow, Whiskey Falls and Zaphyer Enfield.

Manchester United manager Erik ten Hag cut Phil Jones and Brandon Williams from his Europa League squad due to their prolonged recovery timescales from injury.

You Me At Six have announced a new collaborative single with Enter Shikari frontman Rou Reynolds.The song, titled ‘No Future? Yeah Right’, is set to arrive next Tuesday (September 13). Fans who pre-save/pre-add the track on streaming platforms can “unlock” a brief preview snippet.Posting underneath the announcement of the forthcoming team-up on Instagram, Reynolds wrote: “This is a belter, people.”‘No Future? Yeah Right’ will follow on from You Me At Six’s latest single ‘Deep Cuts’.

You could have heard a pin drop during the gala opening night of Opera Australia’s production of The Phantom of the Opera August 26 at the Joan Sutherland Theatre at the Sydney Opera House. The audience was packed with celebrity Sydneysiders in bow ties and gowns but the real stars of the evening were Josh Piterman, Amy Manford, and Blake Bowden.This trio of truly gifted performers, surrounded by a stunning supporting cast and orchestra, powerfully delivered the musical’s signature songs, Music of the Night, Think of Me, All I Ask of You, the awesomely beautiful Masquerade, and of course the main title song, with vitality and power.This new production of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s mega-musical adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s novel, overseen by producer Cameron Mackintosh, and director Seth Sklar-Heyn is simply superb on every level.While the story of an obsessive and dangerous love in 19th-century Paris is now familiar to many, it’s the exquisite attention to detail which delivers the magic to this new staging.The  27-piece orchestra under the musical supervision of Guy Simpson is phenomenal, and the production is elevated even further by truly glorious stagecraft. The Phantom of the OperaThe lush costuming by Jill Parker, recreating the original designs of the late Tony award-winning Maria Bjornson is stunning, and the hair and wig design by Angela Cobbin is perfection.The lighting design by Tony Award winner Paule Constable and the sound design by Mick Potter is also extraordinary, with some terrific video and projection design by Nina Dunn.There is also a wonderful use of pyrotechnics throughout the show and of course the thrilling and iconic moment when the chandelier falls towards the heads of the audience still inspires

Sam Fender has announced his first ever stadium show at Newcastle’s St James’ Park – read Fender’s interview with NME about the 2023 gig below and find ticket details here.The singer-songwriter will play the huge hometown show at the home of his beloved Newcastle United on June 9 next year, becoming the first Geordie band to headline the venue.“It’s been a running joke since we started the band,” Fender told NME this week of his long-running desire to play a gig at the venue. “We used to be like, ‘Ah, imagine if we headlined St James’ one day!’ Now that it’s happening, it’s a little bit bizarre.“I think we manifested it by accident,” the singer added, saying that he and his bandmates “used to take the piss” and discuss the idea of playing a headline show at the famous football ground.Fender continued: “No actual Geordie band has ever done it.

Be it arriving international talent or getting to know your community better, here’s just some of the events you can check out in Sydney throughout the weekend. Hot off of making history as the first drag queen to headline Wembley Stadium in 2019, Bianca del Rio is back on Australian shores with her style of rude, crude humour in Unsanitized, her first comedy tour of the post-lockdown era. Hosted at the State Theatre over two days, the Drag Race season 6 winner is sure to offend and self-deprecate in a way only she knows how.

A 76-year-old Melbourne man, who was arrested last year, for the suspected “gay hate” murder of Raymond Keam in a Sydney Park in 1987, was granted bail on a $1 million surety.Trigger Warning: This story discusses a gay hate crime, which might be distressing to some readers. For 24 hour crisis support and suicide prevention call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For Australia-wide LGBTQI peer support call QLife on 1800 184 527 or webchat.Keam’s murder was among the spate of targeted killings of gay men and trans persons in Sydney and NSW between 1970 and 2010.

Champagne corks will be popping as Married At First Sight UK returns to our screens and matchmaker Paul C Brunson has been spilling the tea on the popular E4 reality show. Paul has been sharing some juicy gossip about MAFS, which is back with a new batch of singles whose search for a happy-ever-after will lead them to saying 'I do' to a complete stranger they’ll meet for the first time on their wedding day.

Sydney’s harbour, while Anya enjoyed a break from filming the Mad Max prequel, Furiosa. The smitten pair made their red-carpet debut in February, but set tongues wagging in June following unconfirmed reports they had tied the knot. The Peaky Blinders actress has also been seen in recent months wearing emerald and diamond sparkling gems on her ring finger.