For an over-18s event there was an awful lot of kids at Luna Park’s very first Harbour Party NYE. Well, ‘kids’ if enthusiasm for unlimited rides is any guide.

The Venue

Turning the ripe old age of 70 this year, Sydney’s iconic Luna Park is certainly no longer a kid. Having been reborn enough times over the decades to put the average Buddhist fable to shame, the fun park’s latest reincarnation took place in April 2004. This was when the Big Dipper, removed in 2001 due to continual noise complaints, was replaced by the Big Top performance space.

Crystal Palace was converted into a banqueting and function venue and multi-level dining facilities were added. Nevertheless, many of the attractions our grandparents enjoyed were retained: Coney Island, Rotor, the Ferris Wheel, and others. And when not booked for an event like Harbour Party, entry is now free. Unlike most parties of this size, the promoters are the venue owners themselves: Luna Park has decided to not wait for others to help make a return on investment.

First Impressions

Harbour Party started very early – too early in fact, at 6pm. Walking up to the main entry just before 7pm., I could hear the sounds of live ska from a band playing just inside the gates. It turns out to be local dub, reggae, and ska outfit King Tide. The first of the night’s unadvertised surprises, King Tide got things started with a totally loose groove while the early arrivals flitted between the rides.

The second surprise trotted on to the main open area of Luna Park in the form of a street samba troupe. Complete with dancers in the vibrant dress of the Brazilian carnivale, they moved through the crowd with their full complement of street drummers and percussionists. Along with more drummers from Grupo Capoeira Brasil and a fire-eater, the festival atmosphere was in good form. The DJs with their programmed beats were really going to get a run for their money.

Even though the crowd numbered more than 1000 by 8pm., the outdoor attractions were just too good. Melbourne live act Nubreed had played an opening set to an empty floor before I even arrived, and a similar fate awaited Sydney band The Presets and DJ-based group Sneaky Sound System. For the majority of Sneaky’s set there were no more than 40 in an arena with capacity for perhaps 4,000. So, one lesson for next NYE is to not bother with bands or headlining DJs till sunset.

Considering the number of British accents I heard in the crowd, the London double-decker bus cut-out on the main stage was quite fitting. The Big Top is a top-notch stadium-sized arena, with a balcony over the back quarter of the floor that gives a wide angle raised view of the front. It was also very obvious that a large proportion of the crowd wasn’t really interested in the music on offer. They were there for a good time in a fun park with eye-popping harbour views and oodles of free rides. They probably couldn’t name a single DJ or live act in any of the five arenas.

The Live Acts

Sydney post-punk two-piece The Presets lived up to the hype. Filling The Powerplant room of Crystal Palace with a sound descended from the likes of Joy Division, Depeche Mode, and Soft Cell, this wasn’t the easy-to-digest party music I was expecting. Front man Julian Hamilton, 26, is quite talented in how he juggles a Korg synthesiser, keyboard, and vocal effects pedals while singing. The 10 or so lucky people in the room were treated to the live debut of Down, Down, Down, a track off their upcoming EP due in Easter. Definitely a musical highlight of the night for me, if not the most suitable choice of band for the crowd and party.

Eastern Suburbs regular Sneaky Sound System was a great choice of opener for the Big Top. Consisting of two DJs accompanied by a saxophonist and freestylin’ MC, they played breezy house numbers like Kraak & Smaak’s Money In The Bag and their own debut single Hip Hip Hooray.

By the time Brisbane band PTY LTD kicked off after sunset in The Powerplant, the crowd was finally starting to reach capacity. Their form of live deep house and jazz-house got a good response. The crowd mostly didn’t notice the sound glitches that occasionally marred their set.

Back in the Big Top was the third and most electrifying unadvertised surprise of the night, Johannesburg-based Drumstruck. Currently on tour from South Africa at Star City Casino, Drumstruck is a show that features a non-traditional mix of mainly south and west African rhythms along with some ‘world’ rhythms. Their much-touted selling point is that every member of the audience is given a drum with which to play along.

Drumstruck’s management, in the final week before Harbour Party, had offered a 15-minute preview (minus the audience participation) of the full show. Luckily for us, Luna Park grabbed the opportunity and scheduled the group between Andy Van (Melbourne) and headliner Norman Jay (UK). It almost goes without saying that the pure energy coming from eight-plus African drummers was more than anything even the best DJ could muster. As if this wasn’t enough, a number of African dancers burst onto stage and worked the crowd into a real frenzy.

The final live act, in a packed Powerplant, was Melbourne’s two-man Bionikworld. Recently returned from a few months in Europe spent touring and working on their new album, they had no trouble serving their funky electro to the punters busy celebrating the newborn year 2005.

The DJs

With a long list of established Australian DJs like Ajax, Mark Dynamix, Phil K, Illya, Elroy, Q45, and Frenzie, there’s not much need for introductions. Ajax had the task of getting a crowd on the dance floor in The Powerplant following The Presets, which he did with ease. And through midnight Mark Dynamix kept the energy level up. The set of Norman Jay MBE failed to interest me, in spite of him being the first club/rave DJ to be awared a Member of the Order of the British Empire medal…

Meanwhile, the 33 & 1/3 breakbeat room had no more than perhaps 20 people the whole night. Usually it was much less. This is no doubt because the $99 to $150 ticket price is completely unjustifiable to the more underground breaks crowd, especially if a Fuzzy event is on the next day. The remote corner of Crystal Palace where 33 & 1/3 was located wouldn’t have helped.

All this set the scene for me to have what felt like a private party with breaks legend B.L.I.M., a producer and DJ from the UK who is one of those responsible for the worldwide nu-skool breaks explosion. Although scheduled to play past midnight, there was no point in him soldiering on behind the decks to a fast-emptying room come 11.50p.m. So it was a quick march for him, and his audience of 10, to the front gates to watch the midnight fireworks.

The Low-down

The carnival atmosphere, the abundance of organic beats, and the breathtaking harbour and fireworks views meant that Harbour Party NYE was not really just a dance party. It was a unique opportunity to throw off the shackles of adulthood and be a kid again, “Just for Fun”.

http://www.lunaparksydney.com
http://www.modularpeople.com/03/preset/preset.htm
http://www.sneakysoundsystem.com
http://www.drumstruck.com
http://www.bionikworld.com