Looking forward to having a reason to revisit LadyLux after enjoying many nights at the sadly departed Bread n Butter, the promise of Flux being Sydney’s best new Friday night out was too much to resist. It ‘s been some time since the infamous Kings Cross has produced a great Friday night out, and for this lucky punter Flux certainly didn’t disappoint. On arrival at 11pm, I was politely requested that upon entry to the club I’d remove my hoodie, and being a Friday night after a long week at work, I complied with this request in light of a great night ahead. So let it be known that the dress policy at LadyLux is not one of anal retentiveness (jeans and sneakers will certainly do), while still attempting to maintain an iota of class that many of Sydney’s best clubs have forgone in an attempt to maximise door revenue. And indeed, where would we all be without our integrity?
With Kings Cross being famed for clubs that pack out only past midnight, I wasn’t particularly surprised to not see too many people upon entry, but was indeed graced by a top notch warmup set by the first act of the night Luke Trimble. Promoter and resident DJ of the Fairways parties from the past, and recently returning from London, it was quickly evident this disc jockey had not lost his touch in terms of technical skill and track selection. Although the club only started to fill at approximately midnight, Trimble was doing a fine job of ensuring that those inside were not sitting down enjoying a quiet drink, but instead grooving on the dancefloor, spilling their drinks and having a time of it. Our ears filled with a mixture of tech and deep house, combined of course with the excellent sound system that LadyLux has to offer. Getting everyone in the mood for the night ahead with floorfiller tracks like Mark Knight Shogun, Booka Shade Mandarin Girl and the Sebastien Leger/Chris Lake collaboration Ghost, the mood was set, and the predictable error of playing too hard too early was for once not made.
The next DJ to grace the decks was Tom Cooper, who was given the job of now maintaining the dancefloor, as opposed to filling it. The diversity of the crowd, from suits to sneakers, meant that a more commercial flavour was to be adopted for the next two hours. A mixture of electro, deep and tech house meant that the crowd was very much enjoying themselves, singing along to the vocal elements of tracks including Fat Boy Slim’s infamous Star 69, the lyrics of which are best not quoted in this review. The set at times felt a little bit all over the place, going from darker tech numbers to a remix of Rozalla’s Everybody’s Free (To Feel Good). But since the crowd was happy, so was I. But these battered old bones were unable to stay for the rest of the night to enjoy what I heard from a friend the next day was a great performance from Jasmine and Adam Bozzetto. But as they’re resident DJs, I’m sure I’ll have another opportunity in the near future.
Certainly for an ongoing club night, it’s important to lay down the right number of club anthems to ensure that clubbers feel that longed-after sense of recognition that will hopefully lead to increased word-of-mouth publicity, as well as customer loyalty. Time and time again, so-called ‘underground’ nights that focuss on niche categories of electronica can often offer great nights but are not sustainable, in that they only appeal to a select few punters. And unless the promoter is a lottery winner, business is business. Flux has indeed managed to recruit and maintain the right calibre of DJs who know how to work both the crowd with the right mixture of commercially recognisable and underground tracks, and with this, I most definitely hope this night of nights is around for a long time to come.
chiara1979 says...
I would just like to say that I was at Flux on Friday night. As an avid music enthusiast, I would just like to say that I'm no stranger to a beat. For me Tom Cooper was the stand out act of the night. Given that he jumped on after a dj (Luke Trible) who, at 11pm was playing as though it was 4am (ouch) Tom had alot of cleaning up to do! For me, you are only as good as the dj before you, and, considering this, Tom did a fine job. His started his set smooth and sweet and eased us into the journey that he always takes you on when he plays. He actually got people ON the floor as opposed to 'maintaining' the vibe. His music takes you somewhere then brings you back home again, instead of just dropping you off and leaving you high and dry. Soulful, smooth and cool, Mr Cooper tells a story...you just have to be privellaged to hear it...
chiara1979 says...
I would just like to say that I was at Flux on Friday night. Being an avid music enthusiast, I am no stranger to a good beat... what I will say is that Tom Cooper was far and away the stand out performer of the evening. Given that he jumped on after a dj (Luke Trimble) who, at 11pm was playing a set that one would normally hear at 4am (ouch) Mr Cooper had alot of cleaning up to do. I would argue that you are only as good as the dj before you, which, in this case, was not a great platform to begin with...needless to say, Tom Cooper opened the set sweetly and smoothly...not only did he ease us into his intricate web of melody and cool, but he actually FILLED up the dancefloor, as opposed to 'maintaining' the crowd on the dancefloor. To me, his music takes you somewhere, then brings you home again...not just dropping you off and leaving you high and dry. Overall...I would like to say that his set was not 'all over the place' , but headed directly TO THAT PLACE. Keep up the good work Tom :)
T_i_T says...
I went to Lady Lux for the first time in a long while last Friday - - - - - - - - And i have to say I didn't expect to have the night i did.......... After walking in the doors around 11:30 and seeing the club fairly packed that was already a sick start to the night - - - - - Luke Trimble was playing some good tunes and people were already on the d-floor...............................................! Soon after Tom Cooper stepped up to the plate - - - - Having not heard him play before i wasnt sure what i was in for - - - - - He definately got people off their seats and played some solid tunes - - - - - I was impressed by the pommys sounds - - - - Will be back for another dose of the Cooper this wkend....................! As the night went on Jasmine took the stage - - - - - She ripped it up as well and the club didnt seem to empty untill well after 5am near close - - - - - - Good night out and its definately back on the cards........!
sammyk says...
Friend's with Tom Cooper much? Just joking, I did say that a more commercial flavour needed to be adopted to cater to the masses and that's why I felt it was a little all over the place and not so much a 'journey' as you say... I think he did a great job personally, the crowd was loving it like I said and that's all that really matters. And the set was definitely NOT 'soulful'.
Agent86 says...
I was there from about 11 till almost close and all the dj's played great sets, very enjoyable and the music was wicked!! And it was still pretty packed at about 5:40 am when I left, sign of a good night to me!
MattTT says...
good promo guys