3D World 900th Issue Party feat. Sven Vath @ Home, Sydney (06/03/08)
For some reason, being at Home Nightclub always makes me feel like I’m trapped in the Peach Pit After Dark from Beverly Hills 90210. It could be the mismatched stairwells and 80s concrete curl, but on Thursday night at the 3D World 900th Issue Party starring WhoMadeWho and Sven Vath, it was the green drinks – ‘Upsynth’ – that nailed the 80s nightclub scene vibe for me. On television however, neon coloured drinks never seem to have any affect on those who drink them and this absinthe concoction that was being heavily promoted on Thursday night was working some dark magic in the wee hours – all the more sinister for those who had to face work the next day.
Of course, going to a party on a school night is always that much better for its tomorrow-be-damned quality, and this fiesta in honour of the mighty 3D World had all the makings of a green-tinged affair to remember. I was very much looking forward to seeing the always entertaining WhoMadeWho again and checking out living legend that is Sven Vath, in the flesh. Many were assuming that with Vath’s tendency to dig in for hours that the set times of the evening were a token gesture, but from the get-go the running sheet went out the window, with WhoMadeWho taking the stage an hour later than planned.
Bless their brave Danish hearts as they smiled at the crowd lurking around the edges of the dance floor like it was a dud school dance; adjusting their performance attire of kimonos, they did their best to get the party started. Being that they’re WhoMadeWho, this did not take long. Those who looked a little taken aback to see a whole band before them were soon moving and due to WhoMadeWho’s innate sense of fun, smiling too.
Bassist and vocalist Tomas Hoefdin apologised at one point for playing new songs, but he needn’t have bothered. They’re such talented musicians and natural showmen that their newer songs slotted in perfectly with old favourites like Space For Rent, Out The Door and a deliciously psychedelic punk job on Monkeys. There’s more vocal parts on the new tracks, and Hoefdin and Jeppe Kjellberg on guitar made for an impressive sight, singing their hearts out while wielding their instruments like disco Samurais. Tomas Barford opted for a more traditional Oriental jacket selection than his kimono-ed brothers as he did his usual dynamite job on drums and beats, and together the band showed yet again that you don’t have take yourself too seriously to make great music. There was walking on amps, crowd participation in the form of impromptu guitar playing and a general sense of relaxed dance mosh chaos by the end of WhoMadeWho’s set that left the cavernous main room of Home a lot more alive than when they started.
There was a definite sense of anticipation when Sven Vath finally took his position in front of the now-crowded room and in this sense, the superclub vibe that Home has (for better or worse) added to the sense of occasion. The lasers didn’t hurt either. Vath started deep and even if you didn’t know his stayer reputation, you would have felt in your bones that he was in for the long haul. The sound was a bit hit and miss but it sure was loud, and whenever Vath pulled out the stops and laid down merciless assaults of baseball-bat-to-the-head techno joy, you wouldn’t have heard a bomb go off outside. Apart from smiling benignly at the UpSynthed crowd below him, who were losing their sweet minds and shaking the odd arm in the air in solidarity (or victory, either way), Vath managed to take some other excursions into darker, acid-tinged trance climes and knock out the odd minimal hit before resuming the punisher stance again. I left around the three hour mark, some time after a welcome Supermayer Two Of Us surprise, so I missed the housier action that apparently rounded off Vath’s four hour set. An impressive effort, but I’m not sure he could do it in his sleep.
Befitting his legend status, Vath has stamina, i spacking some great records and comes across as if he could mix before he even started crawling. I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something lacking in his efforts ihn terms of being inventive or alive, but I was no doubt in the minority. At any rate, such concerns seem kind of beside the point in superclub land where the name of the game is big, dumb fun – I certainly had some, along with most of the crowd. That’s what birthday parties are for after all – even 900th ones.
