Return of the Bad Eggs @ Break-O-Day Hotel, Corindhap (22/03/08)
They have staged warehouse parties, club events and outdoor doofs, but this time Melbourne techno collective Messy Creations have teamed up with Ballarat crew Synchronicity to take on a Victorian bush pub. Housed at the Break-O-Day Hotel in Corindhap, about a half hour south west of Ballarat, the crews presented a two-staged Easter celebration across both indoor and outdoor arenas.
After consulting GoogleMap, (curiously, Corindhap wasn’t even on our Touring Guide of Australia Map book) it was discovered it was approximately 1.5 hours drive from Melbourne via Ballarat, the most direct route from the western suburbs. It was easy to find, and in the day the last section of the journey would have been quite pleasant. In the dark though, there were a few edgy moments dodging kangaroos and wildlife that had the adrenalin pumping a little early.
On arrival, the hotel was brimming with character, a mish mash of old colonial and saloon bar styling with kitsch and quirky décor. A massive American Indian warrior sculpture greeted you on the way in, while a real life rusty old BSA motorbike hung above the smiling bar madams and local country folk, who seemed equally as friendly and bemused with the urban techno warriors descending on their country pub for the night. To the right was the parlour, set up for cards and poker, and the walls adorned with black and white pictures of movie stars, and a whole wall dedicated to female nudes, who curiously held more than a passing resemblance to the bar madams in their younger days.
To the left and down the hall was the purple room, curiously set up for pool and pole dancing. Larger than life painted women straight out of a Bon Jovi clip, and pink and orange floral wall paper adorned the walls. Here, you could grab a game of pool while listening to the breaks, deep clicky house and techno sounds of party ring-ins More Bass (AKA Cuzn Matt, Arianwen & Pat Stormont). No one dared touch the pole though! There were mens and ladies washrooms set up in “ye olde style”, with a basin, jug of water and hand towel instead of a sink with running water. The rooms also featured a shower and bath-tub for boarders, (rooms for hire were $40 a night). At times, we were left wondering whether we’d stumbled upon a country pub or saloon bar.
Out back, an old Moomba float hitched off the back deck became the stage for the main floor DJs. A giant dancing fluorescent Yoda stood behind the decks, twitching away like a DJ scratching records, while a montage of moving images including early 20th century black & white films and Twin Peaks footage projected across a movie screen. The garden was decorated with brightly coloured mushrooms and disco lights, and for those up for the hunt, mini easter eggs were scattered amongst the greenery. The sand of the beach volley ball court made for a perfectly cushioned dance floor, however, on such a cold night, the fire right beside it, was a much warmer and more comfortable spot. The tattooed and hooded party-goers aptly danced round the fire under a clear and sparkling night sky – more Pagan or Druid like on the Autumnal Equinox than a celebration of Easter perhaps.
For the soundtrack, Messy crew like Nic Nac and Colonel Mustard stomped things up with driving techno and German electro mixed with their usual precision. The Led Zeppelin Whole Lotta Love dance remix provided a movingly psychedelic excursion among the throbbing beats, thanks to Nic Nac. Refreshingly, some of the Synchronicity crew provided a live techno set with outboard gear including synths and drum machines instead of just the usual lap top, and it felt gushingly like old times. A sausage sizzle in the late afternoon for the early arrivals was a nice touch, and the bar madams kindly fired it back up at about 1am – for $2 per serve. There’s nothing like the smell of sizzling onions and sausages on the BBQ after you’ve been drinking all evening to really awaken the taste-buds and keep you going that little bit longer.
For the seasoned party goer this opportunity to do something a little off the beaten track was well worth it. I can’t wait to add this to my short list of quirky party venues (which is topped by such venues as a tree house) and regale the story to little ones in years to come (like our baby boomer parents did to us with their stories of the hippy days of the ‘60s)!
ehendrikd says...
Some videos from the event: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=return_of_the_bad_eggs Homepage for the Synchronicity Party Crew: http://synchronicity.no-ip.org