That’s it! Harbourlife has won the event of the year hands down in my opinion. If you were lucky enough to have been one of the 6,000 odd people with a ticket, you’ll know you had more fun than anyone else in Sydney last Saturday afternoon. Held in the outstanding and picturesque setting that is Lady Macquarie’s Chair in the Botanical Gardens, with a stunning backdrop of Sydney Harbour, it was a combination of the water view, the boats, the weather and of course the mental lineup presented to us that was responsible for the incredible atmosphere we experienced at Harbourlife.
Strolling in at a leisurely 3pm, I ensured I had a good look around before I got settled in anywhere. Straight off the bat I check out the ‘Treetop Stage’ where Anna Lunoe was doing her thing. This DJ is a mix master, and always plays a whirlwind set. What I like about her is the diversity she brings – you never quite know what you’re going to get. Indie, funk, electro and soul can be heard at anytime coming from the speakers and at this early stage of the day she was quite happily holding her own. Wanting to take as much in as possible, as early as possible, I moved past the ample bar toward the cocktail lounge and made a note to myself to come back there before day’s end.
Wandering down hill towards the foreshore I could see where the majority of punters were planted. Ajax (this site’s very own inthemix50 winner) had the crowd in a groove frenzy and I could tell before I even got down there that this was going to be a fantastic afternoon and evening for all. The atmosphere was electrifying, and the 20 or so boats that were moored offshore could be heard screaming in appreciation along with the land-based punters. I must admit that by around 4pm I was a little jealous of the people diving off boats for a swim – only for a minute though. Unfortunately I missed Fuzzy head honcho Jonathan Wall playing his set – luckily I’ve seen him a few times before, and reports from friends tell me he was just what everyone needed to start the day off nicely. Thanks Jonathan!
The stage was set beautifully. The DJ decks were placed at the north end of the venue, which was a perfect spot for sound. The hillside and tiered seating on the right side were in perfect spot for the party people to check out the crowd, the DJ and the view. The Aquatic themed bar and chillout were at the south end, which was full of chatty punters enjoying a frosty beverage with the food stalls also catering for everyone. Another thing I was extremely impressed with was the amount of ‘Water Bars’ provided. There was simply a multitude of taps for bottle refills, which was very well thought out and least done very responsibly by Fuzzy.
Building up a bit of posse at the back of the crowd, I could see that all were having a ball and the crowd screamed as The Glimmers came on stage to take over the decks. Consisting of two Belgian DJs Mo and Benoelie, these guys have been spinning since the late 80s and have played parties in such cities as Warsaw, Amsterdam, Nuremburg and of course one of my favorite UK clubs Fabric. Considering this, it was no surprise when they came and rocked out some classic tunes from the likes of The Prodigy and Eurhythmics and threw us all into a dance frenzy. Anyone sitting down proceeded to stand up, and those who were standing up already jumped for joy. Six appreciative boys out on the harbour even dove off their boat with a ‘woohoo’ and a splash!
Not wanting to limit myself, I took off back to the Tree Top Stage to see Jamie Doom and Gus Da Hoodratt. These guys are dance party tarts, and had a modest crowd enjoying the tunes being thrown at them. I must admit one of the only disappointing elements of this whole day was where the Tree top Stage was placed. Exactly as suggested, it was under all the trees and although a beautiful spot, you lost all sight of the harbour and any other part of Sydney’s views. This being the case, most punters stayed on the foreshore and the full level of appreciation for some of these DJs was a little lost due to lack of crowd, and this was despite the fact that the walk between stages was a measly five minutes, if even that. No matter, if this was the only thing that I had to complain about all day then that says a lot in itself.
Back to the show! After shaking my thing to the boys, I divided the next hour and a half between ‘twitch house’ hero Switch at the main stage and ARITHMATIX! at the Tree Top Stage. Both were fantastic and I was grateful that the stages were only a short walk from each other. It allowed you to take in a little of each without being put off by the distance between them. This, I must say, was one of my gripes at Parklife – the distance between stages was ridiculous and I missed a couple of acts due to negotiating a sea of eager punters, and the thought of moving again put me off going to see some acts at all. But I guess that’s the difference between an event that caters for 6,000 people, and one that caters for 35,000 people! The smaller events are always going to be a little easier to navigate.
Boys Noize were up next, and the crowd exploded by the harbour. The cheers could have been heard by the tourists climbing the harbour bridge, I’m sure of it. The stands were like a heart beat and the hillside was a sea of fist pumping hands throwing out their appreciation. Boyz Noize aka Alex Ridhal has been a maximal electro genius since 2000, but he’s only really been appreciated by the bigger crowds since he recently dropped a number of smash remixes and productions, along with his debut album Oi Oi Oi. If you missed his set at Harbourlife, a select privileged few were able to catch him at LadyLux the next Sunday night. Sending out massive tunes like his remix of Block Party’s Banquet, it was not hard to see why this DJ’s following is certainly on the rise. He didn’t miss a beat and the punters were dancing themselves to oblivion.
Breaking myself away reluctantly, I really wanted to see Deepchild so after an hour I moved back to the Treetop stage. Halfway up the footpath I stopped to take in the whole scene before me. The sunset was in full swing and the city lights were beginning to turn on. The weather had been fab all day and didn’t rain on us once – not that it would have mattered if it did I dare say. Sunglasses, bad shorts and colorful gum boots (of all things to dance in?) were the order of the day and I was really happy to see fleuro being rejected by this bunch of party people. Finally the fashion parade that has put a slight dampener on events such as Field Day and Parklife seemed to be over – we were here for the music – thank god! Smiling to myself and falling in love with this great city once again, I moved toward the outstanding tunes Deepchild had to offer. This Aussie DJ/producer was fantastic and I stayed with him for the rest of his set. Responsible for Booty Tonic Retro and For a Reason, he really knows how to take a crowd on the right journey and that’s exactly what he did. Unfortunately an official turned the music town just in time for Tim Sea to set himself up. Screams of protest came from not only him but the crowd also, and we were rewarded in our protest with huge sound and vibrating dance floor – exactly the way we like it!
Tim Sea was great but I wanted to finish the night of by the harbour with international guest Tim Deluxe. Responsible for the handbag anthems It Just Won’t Do and Less Talk More Action, he’s recently pursued a more glitchy, electro sound that’s still injected with a heavy dose of fun. And the British DJ/producer certainly has had the crowd in the palm of his hand within minutes. Jazz, soul and reggae were all thrown in there, mixed in with the expected pounding beats and we all loved it. Dance dance dance: no one was sitting down and I am sure had he decided to stay for another 6 hours we would have quite happily stayed with him!
This event brought back memories of the Field Days of old, when there were around 10,000 people in a park that were loving the music. I must admit I’ve been a little deterred by the massive crowds reaching 30 odd thousand, and I’ve realised that smaller parties like Harbourlife are more suited to what I enjoy and after Saturday, I was reassured in my decision to stay away from massive crowds and stick to the smaller events. They have an intimacy that is lost in bigger crowds and the feeling of utter bedlam is not there either at the end of a long day. Less heroes, less fashion victims, less chaos made for a fantastic day and I take my hat off to Fuzzy for continuing to throw parties as intimate as this.
After Saturday’s shenanigans, my suggestion to you all would be to buy a new computer and have it permanently set on the ‘Purchase Now’ screen for Harbourlife tickets over the next 12 months, until they go on sale again. I almost feel like sleeping on the harbour foreshore until the next one! Party of the year, hands down.