Oxford Art Factory cemented itself as the new giant of Sydney’s glittering ‘scene’ on Saturday night as it celebrated its first birthday bash. The night brought everything that patrons have come to expect from the venue over the last twelve months of gargantuan gigs and trashy times – fashionable lineups, kooky creatives and, as their own site advertised, “A healthy blend of music heads and scenesters.”

Jokes about OAF having the ‘oafish’ power of a musical venue giant aside (Ha! See what I did there!), the night was indeed anticipated by those about town. The lineup for the night was extremely pleasing, tending towards unsigned acts who will hopefully benefit from the exposure.

Arriving at 8pm was a wise choice in order to sample free cocktails on order. However, what with the combination of twelve-year-olds more suitably dressed for Tank, an opening set from The Lockwoods in the main room that was under-polished and sloppy, and that same old bouncer that tries to get (into) every girl he meets, it seemed a timely choice to return after a little bit less ‘cool’ factor from nearby Cafe Lounge. OAF was sporting enough leather to make Cody Chestnutt sick (on a side note, Cafe Lounge is a legal requirement of adulthood – an orgasm for all six senses). Unfortunately this meant missing the lovely act of The Viginettes, who serve songs as tasty as their name suggests.

Returning later, the line was longer, the crowd more excited and DJ Rudy (of Teenagersintokyo ) was dropping tracks for old hip-hop heads to be excited about. Thank God that some others knew the raps to Dre’s 2001 or I would have been the only white girl in Oxford Art trying to get my ‘thang’ on.

Everyone packed in to get their black, white, purple or polka-dotted thang bouncing for aesthetically pleasing, rock-pop playing Newcastle based The Protectors (upcoming tour with British India can be found on in the Gig Guide). Boy these boys can rock like the good coasties they are. Pretty harmonies of thirds and fifths were sung above lilting, lyrical melodies for songs such as Look of Love, which sung of the aching angst we’re all familiar with. Frontman Peter Stals drew from later act Yves Klein Blue’s frontman Michael Tomlinson, injecting some kind of crazy into his theatrical “let’s-freak-the-fuck-out” stylings for last song All Systems Go. A thoroughly, thoroughly impressive set – and the absolute highlight of the evening. There’s nothing like finding a great new act.

Bias towards the coast was in line for the night with ex-Byron Bay kid(ettes) The Jezabels playing their usual fantastic music. However, this gig was particularly suited to their sound, as a small space and technically precise mixing gave old favourites such as She Was Never Going to Be A Star and Noah’s Ark a real edge on the night. Singer Hayley’s vocal range and timbre is quite interestingly astounding – think Katy Steele from Little Birdy in the impressively high octaves. Crazy! Adding a classical training to the mix (see pianist Heather) never hurts either – we tend to sympathise with our own kind! For a little bit more of a rave, who can get over their Disco Biscuit song; not to mention its irony on such a ‘trendy’ night…

Much hyped hip-hop/rock blend Snobscrilla were more impressive live than in recordings. The crowd was also loose enough this time in the night to jump crazily along with the band’s demands, however they are still somewhat underwhelming as the front rapper screams and yells over sounds that seemed unfinished.

The night had promised, turned disappointing, then come up yet again, as peeps gathered to pose, posture and pout. The crushing hoard outside was begging to be let in before headliners Art vs Science followed Brisbane’s Yves Klein Blue. These bands have both been receiving quite a bit of favourable press lately and thus secured tight spots for a premiere night. Unfortunately, this grandma headed home from the party too early to cover these two acts. Then again, maybe they have gotten sick of the attention (doubtful, very doubtful).

Sydney has tried to revamp itself along the New York/Melbourne lines lately, as liquor license laws have been re-moulded to encourage ‘boutique’ hole-in-the-wall bars. OAF has been the golden star amongst venues trying to (re)establish themselves not as “merely a club, but as a venue that hosts events” as I heard that same old bouncer say on the night. Ahhh, Sydney pretension, we will never cease to love you.

Just as OAF seems ready to graduate from baby to toddler, hopefully the ‘music heads’ will start to overtake the ‘scenesters’ as the prime punters of the joint. Then everyone really will be kickin’ it – in leather or not.