What to check out this weekend: Gorillaz, Chris Fleming and a pasta salad
Live at the Palace is Chris Fleming's third stand up comedy special. (Supplied: HBO)
Comedy: Chris Fleming Live at the Palace
Streaming on HBO Max now.
Even if you don't know the name Chris Fleming, chances are you've seen a clip of the gangly, mop-haired comedian's many specials, sketches or web shows on your chosen short-form video platform, so predispositioned is his content to go viral. Absurd, physical and heavy with winking pop culture references; Fleming's schtick is pure joy and his latest special is no different, as the comic leaps and bounds around the stage in a sleeveless plum pant suit and Dorothy-esque ruby loafers. You can never quite predict what's going to come out of Fleming's mouth next but you can bet on him delivering hilarious observations that strangely succeed in making sense of the preposterous nature of life in 2026.
- Velvet Winter
Trainspotter Francis Bourgeois chases a childhood dream to become an astronaut in this heartfelt and surprising space mission. (ABC iview)
On streaming: Mission to Space with Francis Bourgeois
Engineering graduate and trainspotter Francis Bourgeois can usually be found filming trains (yes, trains) for his three million followers on TikTok. But the 25-year-old social media star from England, who rose to prominence during lockdown and scored an invite to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales, is now exploring his other great passion: space. In this two-part series, we join Bourgeois on his quest to become an astronaut. It’s dry, funny and (even slightly) awkward as he pushes himself to the limits in pursuit of deep space exploration. Actor and writer Stephen Fry adds more star power to the show as narrator, but it’s Bourgeois and his enthusiasm for the cosmos — a pure joy to watch — that will have you quietly cheering him on towards his space dreams.
- Anastasia Safioleas
The Mountain is the first full-length Gorillaz release sinice 2023's Cracker Island. (Supplied: Jamie Hewlett)
Album: Gorillaz — The Mountain
Out today through Kong.
Bonded by the death of their respective parents, Blur frontman Damon Albarn and graphic artist Jamie Hewlett have delivered the best Gorillaz album in a decade. The Mountain shifts their virtual band’s genre-bending, star-studded modus operandi to India. The result is a cosmopolitan brew where traditional Hindustani musicians mix with rappers and rockers. Who else could seamlessly bring together Black Thought (erudite MC for The Roots) Johnny Marr (ex-The Smiths guitarist) and world-renowned sitarist Anoushka Shankar on the one track? Balancing tender, synth-driven elegies with well-placed bangers, it’s a record where posthumous features (including late soul legend Bobby Womack and The Fall’s post-punk poet Mark E. Smith) sit alongside living legends (prolific Bollywood singer Asha Bhosle and hotshot Argentine rapper Trueno). Just as compelling as the unexpected A-listers is the way these songs exorcise grief and loss with poignancy and life-affirming personality. “The hardest thing is to say goodbye to someone you love,” Albarn croons on Orange County, an earworm pairing a whistled hook with bittersweet pathos.
- Al Newstead (Double J)
"I wrote it because I couldn't bear my own incapacity in a time of grief and horror," Evelyn Araluen said of her poetry collection, The Rot. (Supplied: UQP)
Book: The Rot by Evelyn Araluen
Published by UQP.
"how to make a billion? Incubate god in a crypto mine and never leave an orangutan in one piece"
So begins Billionaire Liturgy, one of the poems in Evelyn Araluen's newly award-winning collection, The Rot. The Goorie and Koori poet won both the $100,000 Victorian Prize for Literature and the Indigenous Writing category at the Victorian Premier's Literary Awards this week, and for good reason. A follow-up to her Stella Prize-winning 2021 debut, Dropbear, her latest work amply demonstrates that poetry can be acerbic, biting and deeply political. Intergenerational theft, the housing crisis and the war in Gaza are some of the themes Araluen explores in this summer's must-read poetry collection.
- Nicola Heath
Ginger and three baby Pea Rexes make discoveries on their latest adventures.
For the kids: Ginger and the Vegesaurs
Set the kids up for a colourful adventure with Ginger and the Vegesaurs. We meet young Tricarrotops (not a verified dinosaur species) Ginger as she journeys through a prehistoric vegescape, facing life-threatening dangers and discovering exotic creatures along the way. She's joined by three troublesome baby Pea Rexes (to be clear — also not a verified dinosaur species) named Split, Minty and Wasabi, who follow Ginger on her exploits, thinking she is their mother. These tiny goofballs find themselves in all kinds of trouble, but might just have it in them to save the day. The short five-minute episodes are perfect for little ones with short attention spans, or busy parents who need a moment to sneak in a much-needed coffee. From Rockmegalodons to Lycheemodus puffer-fish, there's someone for everyone in Ginger's prehistoric crew.
- Shiloh Payne
This pasta salad is a regular in our home and is perfect for eating outdoors on a rug while you enjoy the last days of summer. (ABC Everyday: Heidi Sze)
Recipe: Warm pasta salad with roasted cherry tomatoes, beans and corn
Summer is almost over but if you want to make the most of sweet summer tomatoes and corn, while they last, I can't recommend this recipe from Heidi Sze enough. It combines oven baked tomatoes, garlic and cannellini beans with fresh corn, pasta and feta. But the part that transforms this from a more traditional pasta dish to a warm salad is the shallot vinaigrette which lifts the whole dish and complements the sweetness of the ingredients perfectly. It's all thrown in together to serve which makes it excellent for casual outdoor dinner or a picnic and the leftovers are brilliant for packed lunches too.
- Jo Joyce