The Greenwood has always been an excellent daytime venue – and with the help of Tom Middleton, Andy Smith and a host of local favourites, Sounds on NYD was virtually guaranteed to go off.

Sounds on Sunday is by now a veritable Sydney institution and requires no introduction, a fact reinforced by the very solid number of revelers who made the trip to North Sydney in blinding heat. New Years Day parties have a habit of seeming much less attractive after New Years Eve has passed, but the punters didn’t seem to have a problem shaking off the Morning-After Syndrome – an impressive feat given the 45 degree ambient temperature.

The Greenwood is an excellent venue for hot summer days, with plenty of shady courtyard space and enough bars to refresh partied-out attendees. In case the usual Sydney suspects weren’t enough – Shamus, Illya, Bexta et al – the line-up offered two internationally renowned DJs: Tom Middleton of Cosmos and Jedi Knights fame, and DJ Andy Smith.

So, let’s talk about the music itself. The internationals, although not as well-known as some of the others drifting around Sydney this New Year (Roger and Fatboy seem to have made quite an impression), put on a top-quality show. The multi-talented Tom Middleton served up some choice summer house, while Andy Smith – the man behind Dynamo Productions and chilled outfit Portishead – dropped a wide ranging selection of funk and breaks.

On the local front, it was very gratifying to see the Australians giving as good as they got. Clubbers in need of something harder found release in the Chapel, taken care of by the likes of Amber Savage, Pee Wee Ferris and Yoshi. Meanwhile, in the Cocktail Bar, Elroy, James Taylor, Mo Funk and other regulars dropped some very refreshing breaks in between drinks.

While it’s true that a larger venue might have been able to spread its arenas further apart, The Greenwood did a characteristically good job of setting things up. Drifting from funky, sun-drenched house and messy breaks to trance and techno, it was a nicely varied day’s listening, with both the internationals and the locals putting on superb sets.

All in all, it’s hard to complain about an afternoon at Sounds on any given Sunday, let alone on New Years Day. Good music, good company and good weather (sort of) – it’d be unreasonable to ask for more.