Globe’s Strange Rumblings (Australian Premiere)

Last night, Globe hosted the Australian premiere for their new film, Strange Rumblings In Shangri La. Sydney’s State Theatre, a divine and world heritage-listed work of architecture, employed the perfect acoustics to curate all-out screaming. American audiences are down with voicing their approval, but Australian audiences don’t really fuck with it unless they’re watching a two-years-in-the-making movie by Joe G that stars Dion Agius, Creed McTaggart, Nate Tyler, Brendon Gibbens, Damien Hobgood and assorted others. And even more particularly when they’ve ridden free in the wildly-generous Globe bar all night, a tab the company never fail to pick up, and do so happily. Does a better ethos exist? Joe went and outdid himself. Inspired by Jacques Cousteau via Wes Anderson, among various others, Strange Rumblings is first a surf film, and at close second an adventure film, with the gang riding through France, Iceland, Brazil, Indonesia and Africa. They find inconceivably good waves in some places, inconceivably fun waves in others, and good times everywhere. All seen through Joe’s at-times almost distractingly good compositions. Add some deeply synthesized arpeggiators that swirl and grow to make way for fruit punch afro-beat before rolling into The Stranglers, and it’s christmas for your senses. Dion steals the most screentime and his performance is a jarring reminder of why he’s still a famous, well-paid, well-sexed and well-documented player in the game of surfing. His unrelenting air game and creativity are the anchor of many sections. Damo Hobgood at Greenbush is some outlandish, not-to-be-missed shit, and if you’ve ever looked into a Greenbush wave IRL then Damo could become your new favourite surfer. Creed’s work in Mozambique does justice his years developing on WA’s reefs, and to steal surfing’s most ubiquitous cliche (which in this case is truly deserved), he rides the tube with composure beyond his years. Mozam, by the way, might just be a mirrored Namibia. It’s the kind of wave a regular footer would draw you if you asked them to pen perfection. Then there’s Nate Tyler! Where’s Nate been? Seducing the focal point of Joe’s lens. If you’re a fan of Nate’s breezy style, tweaked-out straight airs, and all done surprisingly on a Taylor Knox model CI, then that’s at least one more reason to watch a surf movie that you simply must, and are already going to, watch. There’s other performances, waves and things that you’ll adore here. But, we’re not in the biz of overloading spoilers. So go get at it on September 25 when Strange Rumblings In Shangri La begins its digital existence. All photos by LifeWithoutAndy / Full gallery over at LWA’s new and improved portal.