New Years Eve 07/08. Well, I’d waited for this night for a whole year so it’s fair to say I was looking forward to my evening at Cargo Bar. I hadn’t been there for a while and didn’t really know what to expect. They had a good line up though, not to mention the great location, so I was quietly confident that the night would live up to my expectations.

We arrived at about 7.30pm to be told that we had special VIP tickets and that we had to go to the upstairs section. We looked at the crowd downstairs. They seemed to be quite content and the dance floor was moving very nicely for that time of the night, my expectations we further raised .We went upstairs, got our wristbands and went inside. There were a handful of people just standing around in their Sunday best drinking complimentary cocktails. That’s ok… we always make our own fun dancing. Remember, most of the lineup looked good! It had a great bunch of international guests, it was New Years Eve and with Jamie Doom, Gus were soon to hit the decks so I thought that whoever was behind the decks earlier on (by the name of Adam Bozzetto) shouldn’t have too much trouble getting the crowd moving, I thought to my self…. Wrong again.

I am being totally honest in saying that he was absolute rubbish. I know it seems hash, but let me explain. I have a 48 year old uncle that ‘mixes’ for his RSL disco and I have heard a smoother ‘set’ from him. Adam seemed to play tracks straight off the So Fresh 2005 CD, no mixing at all, apart from the choppy miss-timed transitions from song to song. When he tried to mix Missy Elliot into the end of a Beastie Boys track, I threw my hands in the air and surrendered.

“It’s ok,” my girlfriend said to me, “we’ll just go downstairs where everyone was having an awesome time dancing to awesome music”… NO WE WON’T! We had VIP wristbands, and were not permitted to hang with the commoners downstairs, or so we were told by a guy guarding the entrance. So there we were, stuck upstairs, listening to this DJs mix poorly and watching reruns of Versace fashion shows on the television sets (now these went back to 1992. Why were they even on?)

The place got packed. And I mean packed. The lines for the bar mixed into the people standing on the balcony. There was no dancing, and no room to even eat. I ordered fries and after waiting for half an hour, I was handed a plate of cold chips and told “sorry, it took me ages to find you, it’s so packed”… Yes, it was packed. A cigarette and fireworks would calm the frustration… Try to get onto the balcony to have a cigarette… No way in hell was I going to fit out there. And hey, even if I did, the awning hid the sky and therefore fireworks. OK, I had friends just down the wharf, maybe it was time to go for a walk.

We left. We went for a walk and watched the fireworks from the edge of the wharf. As we headed back to the Cargo, downstairs looked like it was going off. Flashing lights, laughter, people dancing… I tried again to get in. No. VIPs are lucky and get their own section upstairs. I pleaded that hey, I don’t WANT to be upstairs. No deal.

Back upstairs, and I lined up to get to the bar which involved simply facing the bar and gradually moving forwards from wherever you were in the place. About half an hour after starting my ‘drink adventure’, one of the Bang Gang DJs started playing. THANK GOD. Some decent music. I finally got to the bar after about an hour. Three drink limit…. After an hour. So I can get 3 drinks and join the back of the line and when I am finished them, maybe I’ll be able to get another 3 before midnight. Doesn’t matter, focus on the music.

Hang on, is that Britney Spears playing? Yep. Everyone has their own musical tastes and what they enjoy, it just wasn’t what I personally was looking for on NYE. I decided on another cigarette but couldn’t get out of the ever-increasing bar ‘line’ to get onto the balcony. Looks like I had to go outside to smoke. I went outside and looked enviously at the people dancing downstairs to the other half of the Bang Gang… Ah well, better get back inside and do this review.

“Sorry guys, you already came in and out once before tonight”. I turned to look at the security guard. “Yeah? And? I was having a cigarette”…. “You’re only allowed a pass out once”. “We’ll I’m doing a review, I have to get back inside.” “It’s too crowded for people to keep going in and out, sorry mate”.

That was it. One and a half drinks under my belt and I was being sent home. Talk about fuming. I told him no one told me about this ‘pass out’ crap, and what the hell were the wristbands for then… But it was to no avail. So it was about 11:15pm and I was going to see the fireworks from the Wharf, yippee (I don’t even really like fireworks, I like clubs, hence the wristband). So I would love to tell you about the rest of the night but I can’t, because all it included was me sulking a hell of a lot.

The place was way too full. You couldn’t dance. The DJs tried to play to a crowd that seemed to only ever be mildly entertained at best. I personally hated it. Some people who went may have had fun, but most people I spoke to agreed that the place was too cramped but said “Hey it’s NYE and I have paid good money to be here”.

But me, I was going home. Thank god for all the parties on NYD!