I’d never been to a party before at the Ivy; after-work drinks yes, but not a true party. So, naturally I had a number of questions prior to going to the Ministry of Sound Classics NYD there. Principal among these questions was whether the combination of the Ministry of Sound label and the venue would attract enough clubbers, despite the lack of international DJs and the extensive line-up of NYE and NYD events on the Sydney calendar, especially considering that tickets on the day were going for a pricey $75.

Arriving shortly before 5pm with Alex Taylor behind the decks in the open-air courtyard, there was a fair size crowd – not crowded mind you, but far from empty. The courtyard was a great location to enjoy the warm New Year’s weather, albeit not completely outside in case rain eventuated. Also unlike a completely outdoor event, the lack of grass meant many of the female attendees could get away with wearing sky-high heels, despite the announcement that shorts and thongs were fine. Well, it was the Ivy, wasn’t it?

At 5pm Kid Kenobi took over on the decks for a Classic Breaks Set, which ended up being the highlight of the event for me. Looking as young as ever and smiling and dancing away up behind the decks, it was a festival style set that the crowd loved. Delivering some Chemical Brothers and mixing Doom’s Night into Superstylin’, Kid Kenobi’s set hit the spot with crowd favourites, catchy tracks and the sun shining down.

Located at the far end of the second level, the event’s second room was a part of the Ivy I hadn’t previously been to (and some people on the day may have missed). Sumptuously decked out in turquoise blue, it was the only part of the venue that (welcomely) had air-conditioning. Diverging from the usual Ministry of Sound style, the DJs and tunes were less mainstream and part of what had attracted me to the event. At 6pm Simon Caldwell took over from John Devecchis on the decks, delivering a set featuring some classy classic deep house, with piano melodies, heavy bass lines and smooth sounds. A protracted mix of Man with the Red Face was a welcome touch.

By now, Groove Terminator was behind the decks downstairs. Dishing up such tracks as Benny Benassi’s Satisfaction, he delivered an uplifting party vibe that dug back into the past decade. As darkness fell, the party stepped up a notch; the downstairs dance-floor becoming more crowded, the volume increasing, strobes flashing. Unfortunately, up next were the Bag Raiders, and for me the party seemed to turn into a regular Ivy night. I didn’t hang around for long during their set, but heard some complaints that they seemed to ignore the classic theme of the party, sticking to more recent releases (although I did catch Stardust’s Music Sounds Better With You).

Unfortunately as well, upstairs where Sugar Ray and then Phil Smart were the final DJs for the night, the room was emptying out, the crowd electing to party up downstairs or head home after a big night and day, rather than enjoy the darker, techier tracks on offer. Probably this was also a reflection that the old time clubbers that used to be their fans at nights such as Tweekin’ were turned off by the choice of venue. This meant that the room lost its vibe, and it was hard to stay involved on the dance floor.

Following on from the Bag Raiders downstairs was Mark Dynamix, with some good-time house music, then a final hour from John Course, playing the classic Good Life just before I called it a night. Whilst the party didn’t end up entirely gelling for me, it was still a fun time for NYD. But the best way it could have been improved? If the transport providers in Sydney could have realised that a skeleton public holiday bus schedule is not sufficient to get everyone home on NYD, especially with the crowds attending Field Day.