I remember when I first heard I Love It by Sneaky Sound System. It was the catchy new tune they were playing on Foxtel to promote Arena TV. They have come a long way since then, as they’re now one of Australia’s most sought after pop acts. I have enjoyed watching their rise to fame and was excited to catch a live performance from Miss Connie and the boys at Festival Hall.

After witnessing hysterical crowds only days earlier for Justin Timberlake, my faith in the true ‘fan’ had been restored. Walking into Festival Hall seeing many people showing off custom made outfits with Sneaky slogans for the event, it was pleasing to see Australian artists sharing in some of the love. Bopping away and signing along to Get In To The Groove by Madonna, we found our seats and settled in feeling a little excited. It seems Festival Hall was full of excited people and the floor in front of the stage looked more like a scene from a rave than a concert. With the general admission area full to the brim, people were happily bumped shoulders and grooving away to sounds from the 80s, and even some classic hip hop while waving their glow sticks in the air. Unsure of the support acts, I learnt that the DJ was in fact Sneaky’s own Black Angus (is there anything this guy can’t do?).

Wondering where all the glow sticks came from, we discovered that there was a free glow stick between every seat, what a great idea! Not using a glow stick since the Blue Light Disco days I frantically tried to get it glowing open to join in the fun. In my enthusiasm I didn’t realize that the glow stick was cracked and was spraying all over the people around me, including ITM’s newest Melbourne Promotions Coordinator! Shocked and embarrassed, I quickly threw the glow stick to the floor and went in to damage control. At least if I quit my day job I could get a position at the Third Class nightclub as an interior designer.

Thank the lord that Muscles came on to take the attention away from the neon nightmare I had caused. I had never heard of Muscles before and after checking out his MySpace page, and noting his support of Daft Punk and Felix Da Housecat in the coming month, it seems I must have been out of the loop. A Melbourne artist making waves on the Modular label, Muscles music had me puzzled. A mix of pop, techno, electro and at times trancey sounds, I couldn’t help but giggle as he smashed away behind his keyboard. I look forward to hearing Muscles for a second time at Daft Punk Friday, and becoming more acquainted with his tunes. After waiting a couple of hours and downing a couple too many Red Bulls, we were more than ready to indulge in the main act.

The relief was felt around Festival Hall as *MC Double D8 took to the stage. The back drop glowing from the light show the crowd reacted with cheers and an army of hands in the air. Kicking the show off there was still one last arrival, Miss Connie. Becoming a pop star and fashion icon in her own right, Miss Connie popped out on stage in her own style, a movement and character which has captured to attention of Australia. Her stunning black and white striped dress glided across the stage as she burst into song.

The latest single Goodbye is my favourite Sneaky Sound System song, and it was even better performed live. The quality of Miss Connie and MC Doubles D’s performance was just as good as any of the international stars gracing our shores for $150 a pop. It was easy to see that their debut album had gone platinum as the majority of the crowd knew the lyrics to unreleased material. Pictures is always such a fun song, and as always the crowd was happy to take the position in back up vocals. Taking it back to where it all started I Love It was of course the stand out song of the show.

With Miss Connie usually the focal point of the group, I enjoyed a generous taste of MC Double D’s talents as he performed some solo tunes. A real team effort has gone into their success, and also into making their live show worth waiting two hours for. Anyone who believes that popular music is all about pushing buttons and over-produced vocals really should take the time out to see Sneaky Sound system in concert, it has certainly lifted my opinion of the group and I look forward to seeing what they can achieve in 2008. At a mere $50 a ticket, you certainly got your moneys worth.