CHECK OUT THE PHOTOS FROM THE PARTY HERE.
New Year’s Eve in Sydney is almost synonymous with the hoards who brave crowds, weather, draconian laws and other insane measures to see the Coathanger blow a fuse or two. Yet it turns out that the hipsters – and as the night revealed, a few more – are turning towards their “favourite late late indie night” (their title, not mine), Purple Sneakers. An increased capacity and revellers scavenging for the few remaining door tickets at Manning House was clear indication that the Boundary Sounds-run House Party had surely built itself a reputation from the past year.
First up to a crowd of a few early drinkers and smokers were The Jezabels. Lead singer Hayley was pitch-perfect. The band played with technical prowess, yet their set slightly missed the mark, maybe due to their lukewarm crowd. Meanwhile, Ben Fletcher of The Devoted Few was giving it his all, offering a stage presence that surprised most of his early, too-cool-to-dance audience. Between singing with passion, showing off his guitar prowess and messing around with a theremin, he made sure that his band was the live act to beat that night.
Yves Klein Blue, in hindsight, had a tough job at hand. Yet as a band that can create such danceable music while appearing like a Bush cover band who hired a young David Bowie to be their lead, it didn’t take long for the entire Manning Bar to explode into an orgasm of failing limbs. Single Polka (who one cynically assumes would only be familiar to the masses as “That Ford ad song!”) was particularly well-received.
The crowd in Manning House grew ever larger as the dusk slowly meandered towards midnight. The DJ room, which played host to The ELF and Soft Tigers Food Fight throughout the night, was the rare spot that was only quarter-filled, yet it appeared like there were enough drugs circulating in there to supply the entire building. On the topic, the movie lounge was left housing the bruised, battered and blind as its consistently looped Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey.
As Scotsmen Frightened Rabbit prepared to take the stage, however, a different crowd appeared. Suddenly, the 40 and 50-something horde, usually reserved for ageing rockers and operas, were making their way out of the woodwork to come to see the acclaimed four-piece. That said, the men did not disappoint, offering arguably the most professional set of the night. A limited time-frame meant only a select choice from their critically-lauded album The Midnight Organ Fight could be played, yet leading the audience through their songs with finesse, articulation and a little bit of swagger was more than enough for most. A truly spectacular showing in a setting usually reserved for the more danceable bands.
Downstairs, Sparkadia continued to prove why they are one of Australia’s most sought-after live acts, with a blistering set that electrified a now-enormous crowd. Yet, nothing prepared the punters for what was coming when Frenchmen The Teenagers took on Manning Bar. Vocalist Quentin Delafon spent most of the concert running around on the stage, the photography pit and anywhere else he could get his foot it, whilst the crowd lapped up every word he sang, no matter how vapid and irrelevant.
Eventually the time of the night came, presumably twice. As the French dance-rockers ripped the on-stage clock off the wall to signal the arrival of the new year, a minute later every Australian act was partying downstairs before Bluejuice, whom you can always rely on to keep a party going, hit the stage. Whilst on the ground the mosh was greeted with confetti and glitter, the Teenagers invited their punters on-stage with them for the rest of their set. So many joined them that the trio didn’t even have enough room to play for a period of time.
As the night’s end drew closer, British India practically cemented itself as our generation’s Grinspoon with a set made almost entirely of songs from their recent album, played to a crowd of shirtless hoons more eager to fight each other than to listen to the music. At the other side of the scale, Le Tigre’s JD Samson was cheeky with her track selection, switching from Hot Chip to Men at Work to The Village People with such ease that it annoyed some, yet created one of the most memorable moments of the night for most: three levels of indie kids doing the YMCA.
From there on in, it was the usual indie club mess: predictable tracks being played to an easily excitable crowd. Yet with so many memorable moments and such great live music on offer, it’s fair to say Purple Sneakers offered the brightest fireworks in Sydney that night.
