STM Loves: Subi Blooms x Gather Festival, Perth Comedy Festival, Lara Worthington x Witchery & Stellarphant

Lara Worthington x Witchery

Lara Worthington brings her sense of style to a new capsule collection for Australian brand Witchery, designed to be versatile, aspirational and wearable. The 28 fashion pieces and three shoes were designed over a year, reflecting Worthington’s love of sharp tailoring, leather, denim and modern eveningwear. The clothing is available online and in select Witchery stores.

Subi Blooms x Gather

Artist Matthew Aberline, who was introduced to his craft in the Pilbara where his mum was the local florist, will headline the eighth Subi Blooms x Gather festival. Running from April 17 to May 10 at Market Square Park, Aberline’s installation The Light Within will feature large inflatable, floral-layered lanterns that will illuminate in the evening. The 2026 festival will feature 14 installations across the town centre, all embracing the theme Flora Aurora through shadow, light and colour.

Perth Comedy Festival

The comedian, podcaster and viral content creator Daniel Foxx has been added to this chuckle-fest, bringing his live show How Lovely to Perth after sell-out runs at New York’s SoHo Playhouse and London’s Clapham Grand. Foxx, known for his hilarious social media, his podcast Welcome To Hell with Dane Buckley and his book Bedtime Stories For Privileged Children, joins an overseas line-up including master of the “Irish wink” Kyla Cobbler, Scotsman Daniel Sloss and American stand-up Rosebud Baker. Australian acts include Jimmy Rees, Nazeem Hussain, Josh Thomas, Peter Rowsthorn, Bron Lewis and Matt Okine and a collection of the country’s best Aboriginal comedians, such as Andy Saunders, Elaine Crombie and Janty Blair. The festival is on April 20-May 17. See perthcomedyfestival.com.

Hot Keys

Warm up the vocal cords, this new late-night concept at Deadbeat in the CBD is destined to bring out your inner star. Every Friday and Saturday night, the laneway bar will have a live pianist-vocalist performing everything from Fleetwood Mac to ABBA and the Spice Girls, with the crowd encouraged to sing along — the louder, the better. Tell your group chat that Hot Keys launches March 20.

Stellarphant

Barking Gecko Arts’ new theatre production is an adaptation of James Foley’s award-winning picture book about Stella, an elephant who wants to become an astronaut. Timed for the end of the school holidays, the story follows Stella as she refuses to give up and enlists the help of a champion boxer penguin, a Siberian tiger pilot and a sloth scientist to build her own spaceship. Performances of Stellarphant for the public are on at the Subiaco Arts Centre from April 15-18, before the school season commences. General public tickets for the 55-minute show, aimed at kids from Years 3-6, are from $16 and go on sale mid-March.

Mad Mabel

If you’re stuck in a reading rut, this book by Australian author Sally Hepworth is just the gem to pull you out. It follows curmudgeon Elsie in her quiet Melbourne lane through a death — or is it murder? — alongside a ragtag group of characters, including young Persephone who slowly, but surely, melts the ice queen. It will make you laugh and cry, with Hepworth keeping you guessing right until the end. Mad Mabel is available online and in most book stores.