Summer in the city is always one of those great times of year, when the city seems to come alive with energy and activity. With the start of the Sydney Festival last week, this year wasn’t ever going to be any different. The organizers traditionally attract interesting, eclectic and attention grabbing acts, and with a performance from Crazy Penis locked in the name itself was more than enough to grab the attention of the punters.

For those `music virgins’ out there, Crazy Penis is not some crazy spin off from the Vagina Monologues but instead one of the hottest acts in funky house out there. As a small measure of their popularity, while waiting outside the Beck’s Bar at Hyde Park Barracks I was asked no less than three times if I would sell my ticket. I’ve got to admit that I contemplated it, but I couldn’t pass up this opportunity to hear some amazing sounds.

The UK group, made up of Jim Baron, Chris Todd, Tim Davies, Mav and the amazing vocalist Danielle Moore, played to a sold out crowd at one of the Festival’s hottest tickets for the year. But before Crazy Penis took the stage, Brisbane based PTY LTD opened up the night with an explosion of soul. It honestly felt that a bomb of pure soul with a dash of funky disco had been exploded in the beautiful outdoor setting of the Barracks. The group had great vocals and a keyboardist that was exceptionally good, and they definitely got the night off to a great start.

After a brief interlude, the arrival of Crazy Penis to the stage was marked with a rush to the stage. Danielle Moore, clad in a reflective one-piece silver metallic dress, took to the stage and the night got started. She announced to the crowd that, “Crazy Penis has been to Australia three times in the past 16 months, and unfortunately, this is going to be it for a while.” The crowd wasn’t too happy, but they were all nonetheless thankful they were going to be part of the last show in Sydney.

The band got off to a strong start and peaked with the song Dance to the Music, which without surprise, got everyone up and dancing to the music. Crazy Penis had a great mix of soul, funk, disco and house, which all blended perfectly into an ideal concoction. After a few songs, they announced to the crowd that they were having an amazing night so far and that they should all join them for the afterparty above the Birdseed Hotel in the Cross. I wonder how many people took up that offer?

It was a great night and Crazy Penis pulled off what was a fantastic show. It’s a shame that they won’t be coming back to Australia for a while, but it only gives more reason for you to spread the word and proclaim “Crazy Penis!”