The weather that we’ve seen over the past week in Sydney has been absolutely god awful, so when the heavens opened up on Saturday morning I was questioning how many people would turn up for Lookin’ Good’s Harbour Cruise that was celebrating the glamorous night’s fourth anniversary. And at midday, the forecast was not good. There were dark thunderous clouds hanging over Darling Harbour as the Lady Rose docked. It was looking as though what should have been a celebration of an eventful party was threatening to turn out into a maritime disaster.

Could I have been any more wrong? The ominous clouds drizzle simply faded away as the anointed gathered quietly on King Street Wharf. And Lookin’ Good was exactly what the name says it is: a collection of some very glamorous revellers looking to dance the afternoon away against one of the most spectacular backdrops that the world has to offer. The DJ line-up boasted a selection of some of the finest local talent on offer, and it was going to be interesting to see whether they could lift the somewhat dampened spirits. As the Lady Rose began to fill up, we were greeted by the sounds of Jay Smalls playing in the main room and Tom Da Silva playing downstairs.

Perhaps it was the daytime launch that put these two off their stride. Both Jay and Tom seemed to have a little trouble with their mixing, but they offset this by choosing some top tunes. Tom Da Silva was playing the lighter side of life, laying down some quality slices of classic house. He threw down Pete Heller’s remix of Good Life, a bit of New York City Beat and Martin Solveig’s Rocking Music. As each DJ only had an hour to play it meant running upstairs to catch the end of Jay Smalls set which was heavier and a little more intense than downstairs. He dropped in a little Faithless and a bit of You’re A Freak.

Then as the sun began to break through the clouds and the rain cleared, Adam Coverdale stormed the decks. Adam, like myself, is a blow in from the old country, which is most probably why I enjoy his sets so much. He plays an eclectic mix of house choosing not to stay settled on one particular style. He rolled back the years with the Jason Nevins vs Run DMC remix of It’s Like That and then led us a merry dance through some huge tunes. A remix of Larry Heard’s Can You Feel It? was later followed by a brilliant remix of Dirty Old Ann’s Turn Me On. That song alone fired up the crowd and filled the room. As one partygoer pointed out, “a classic tune is a classic tune,” and Adam’s record box is brim full of them. He finished off his set with what I am sure is an original pressing of New Order’s Blue Monday, and that heralded the arrival of Ben Morris.

I have seen Ben a couple of times and there is no doubt that he is a local DJ on the cusp of greatness. He dropped in tune of the moment Axwell’s I Found You and The D.O.N.S. vs Dave Spoon’s remix of Big Fun. Then, due to the extreme heat more than anything else, the room emptied. People were so keyed up for the event that the room became unbearable but it soon filled up with the arrival of Alex Taylor. I’ve never seen Alex turn in a bad set, and this was no different. He started off with the new remix of The Prodigy’s Outer Space, and didn’t look back from there. He was joined by the live sax playing of Brendan Beam which took the edge off the harder electro, and gave Alex’s deejaying a different dimension. It was a shame that his set couldn’t have been longer, but the boat had to dock and the guests had to move on to Home Nightclub.

So all in all, this was a great afternoon. The Lookin’ Good! people put on a superb afternoon of music and it was well worth the effort of braving the stormy skies and inclement weather. The vibe was enhanced by an extremely friendly crowd who showed what Lookin’ Good! is all about – happy fourth birthday!