CHANGE CITY :
Good Times feat. Norman Jay & Crazy Penis @ Bungalow 8 & The Loft, Sydney (23/03/08)
Created On March 26th, 2008 by rachel-
Those hard workers at Playground Music had barely cleaned the mud of their Playground Weekender shoes before lacing up again for their Easter weekend mini-fest – Good Times. Spread over Bungalow 8 and The Loft on a lazy (albeit gloomy) Sunday afternoon, the event boasted a tasty line-up of English acts and local supports.
Soulshaker DJs pumped out some generic soul, funk and sexy house early on as the courtyard began to fill up, and the bar grew 4 people deep. Upstairs, party-goers were already donning their dancing shoes as the Future Classics boys Jaime Lloyd and Jimi Polar played a live set of amazing organic electronica, techno and funked-up beats. It was warm, deep and perfectly suited to Loft’s intimate setting and the (non-existent) sun setting outside. Following was another Future Classics regular Somatik, who kicked off his set in similar style yet turned the electro-knob up a little louder, much to the dancefloor’s delight. Dropping song-of-the-moment Heart Attack by Faker and even Body Language Booka Shade bought smiles all round, but it was his remix of Mad World Gary Jules that really put a smile on this reviewer’s face.
Back downstairs, and the man who features on the Queen’s iPod had taken to the stage. With a career spanning almost 30 years, Norman Jay MBE is without a doubt one of the most experienced and innovative DJs going around. He refuses to confine himself to a genre, and revellers were in for three hours of house, soul and funk as he brought his Good Times Sound System carnival to Australia – a night renowned for its 70s and 80s style jazz-funk and house. I expected big things. After all, he was one of the first to play at the unlicensed ‘warehouse’ parties in the 1980s that first created the house music genre. We all like to think we’ve “been there since the beginning” before everything apparently turned to shit, but Norman Jay pretty much has.
An hour into the smooth sexy house with injections of soul and funk classics, and I was a little bored. His incredible wealth of experience and knowledge hadn’t quite become evident yet, instead relying on some hackneyed favourites like Flawless George Michael, Most Precious Love Blaze feat. Barbara Tucker and It’s Yours Jon Cutler feat. E-smooth. Three hours later and still the same. The crowd seemed happy enough, bopping away nonchalantly, but the music was little more than background. And you would have been forgiven for mistaking that MBE for MC, with the British DJ incessantly asking us “How you feeling Sydney?” A little disappointed, Norman, I felt like replying.
It was not until British electronic band and DJ collective Crazy Penis took over that the party really got started. Ever since I fell in love with The Penis a few years ago, I am adamant this 5-piece outfit is one of the most sophisticated and evolving acts today. Charismatic lead vocalist Danielle Moore is mesmerising, and their style is never static. Today was no different. With their delicious mix of pop melodies, deep disco, 70s funk, electronica and sun-kissed beats oozing over the courtyard; it seemed the entire of King Street Wharf had suddenly packed into Bungalow. While their sound is perfectly suited to such a venue, their fan base isn’t. I was tightly sandwiched in between two sweaty backs after about 10 minutes.
Playing old favourites like You Started Something, Sun Science and a little teaser of their famous There’s a Better Place, they also showcased some from the new album like its title track, Love on the Line and Is it Ever Enough. They are simply brilliant performers, but the overcrowding grew unbearable, to the point where I had to say goodnight prematurely and squeeze my way out before the end of their performance. Whether their dreamy disco performance made up for the day’s disappointments is debatable, but their allure certainly isn’t. It’s official: I love the Penis.
