Official Good Vibrations Afterparty @ Chinese Laundry, Sydney (16/02/08)
French backpackers convinced that Town Hall was in fact a club. A fart that immediately cleared out a sizeable section of the dancefloor. A not so ‘secret’ special guest in the form of James Zabiela . Then, just when one thinks “tonight is tooooo random”, an invitation to an after-afterparty at Dee Why. Dee Why ? I thought that after the afterparty it was meant to be the hotel lobby, but whatever. Basically, the Good Vibrations afterparty at Chinese Laundry was chock full of people who were well up for it, resulting in a top night and all of the above.
And of course what better venue than the Laundry to continue spreading the good vibes? The lineups here are always an interesting mix of established and upcoming DJs across a range of genres, and tonight was no different. Representing the cream of the crop of the Good Vibrations electronic lineup, Tittsworth was representing the Baltimore scene, Sinden the electro and twitch house, while over in The Cave 16 Bit Lolitas and the aforementioned Zabiela were straightout progressive and house. Just thinking about it brings a smile to my face – all of these guys absolutely delivered the goods.
Entering to catch the end of Steve Lind and Wax Motif’s set in the main room, it was a nice surprise to hear the boys play the Chemical Brother’s Hey Boy, Hey Girl and DMX’s Up in Here . These two tracks got cheers from the punters, and that’s what it’s all about really. Likewise, I’ve read criticism of the bar staff being slow, and pouring drinks for themselves whilst people are waiting to be served. This did happen, but they were having a great time, so who can blame them?
After a great warmup from Lind and Motif, Sinden came on to Simian v Justice’s We Are Your Friends, amid much clapping from the now packed crowd in the main room. What can I say? He produced a banging set. Drinks got spilt, the floor got sticky, the room got bloody hot and hell, Willie Mason could have urinated in the corner without anyone noticing. Simply put, people were having too good a time. Meanwhile in the Cave, 16 Bit Lolitas kicked off to a moderate, yet appreciative crowd. It was a much deeper, less frantic sound than what Sinden was rocking around the corner, but after a long day at a festival this suited just fine. Hey Boy, Hey Girl got played again and it was noticeable that towards the middle of their set (about 1am) the room filled in anticipation for the lauded Zabiela.
Heading upstairs for a breather, I realised that another of the Laundry’s strengths is it’s mixture of style and substance. The Sand Bar is a fantastic place to chill out, and has the potential to cater to a completely different crowd of people. Clearly The Impossibles , who were performing up here, had very stiff competition from the rooms downstairs, but their enthusiasm was fantastic. Good vibes was the theme, and they seemed to clearly be enjoying themselves. Funnily enough they also dropped DMX’s Up in Here , but by this stage of the night nothing could really surprise me.
By this time, Tittsworth had begun downstairs in the main room. Referring to him simply as a Baltimore DJ, as I did earlier, is to sell this guy short. His set was flawless and far more diverse than that, dropping some hip hop, house, even some DnB in there towards the end. And it was during his set that someone dropped a serious fart in the front right corner of the dancefloor, and unfortunately people in that vicinity had to move. I’ve never experienced anything like that in a nightclub before, but it was hilarious and whoever did it should take their hat off.
In hindsight, Sinden did seem to get people moving a bit more, but he also didn’t have to compete against the technical ability and reputation of James Zabiela. The Cave was absolutely packed by the time his set began, and he didn’t disappoint. The crowd had not thinned at all by the time the club closed at 4am, a testament to the esteem in which he is held. Well that, and also to the set that he played, which was bass heavy and really pounded in such a small room.
Credit must go to the crew at Chinese Laundry and their Club Club Saturday night. This occasion alone featured a number of DJs who have played London’s fabled Fabric and yet the cover, as always, was great value. You know it’s been a good time when you see people so tired from dancing that they struggle to make it up the hill towards Wynyard (I’m pretty sure it was the dancing anyway), or when you see someone out the front stretching their hamstring (seriously!). Come to think of it, the only thing I didn’t come across that night was someone who had nothing to show for their efforts. Everyone’s a winner at Club Club .
