Because you’ve been good little boys and girls this year, your great aunty Gladys is giving you the night off from the Lock Out Laws. That’s right, this New Year’s Eve, for one night only we get to be treated like adults (in theory).
In 2016 I bribed a bouncer to see the end of a Derrick May set. You can’t imagine the warm feeling I got entering after hours – such a renegade. I can only imagine this New Year’s will be like that—but all night. And yes, I hope this sounds as sad as I’m intending it to be. With time no obstacle, you’ve only the “how many you had tonight, mate?” questions left to fend off. Though once passed that inevitable crap, you’ll be in.
Here’s 5 gigs worth the hassle. Rave out 2018 in style!
Freda’s – A Cosmic New Year’s w/ Daniel Baldelli (Italy)
A cosy swoon, Chippendale’s back alley bonanza delivers week in week out. Its rustic décor and hidden mystique offer some of Sydney’s wildest nights out. Unabashed titans in getting down, Freda’s have locked in a groove pioneer to soundtrack your countdown.
With over 50 years behind the wheels of steel, Italian maestro Daniele Baldelli will be moving you across astral planes. His blend of spacey disco and Italo grooves honed the iconic ‘Cosmic Sound’ to which he is celebrated. Having appeared in the world’s finest clubs, Baldelli has leveled both the Boiler Room and Beats in Space stages with jaw dropping sets. Here’s a rare opportunity to see an innovator in close quarters; expect sweat, sore feet and waves of Italian hospitality.
Marrickville Bowling Club – Mad Racket w/ Session Victim (Ger) & Phil Smart
Bowling greens, schooners and ashtrays at both ends—set to a backdrop of classic Australiana is one of Sydney’s longest running parties. Since 1998 Mad Racket, Simon Caldwell, Zootie, Ken Cloud and Jimmi James, have been pushing the boundaries with a passionate approach to club culture. This year’s countdown sees the inner west kings return to Marrickville Bowlo for another roll of the jack. Coupled with their eclectic taste in house are Session Victim from Germany and Australian legend Phil Smart.
Known to dive deep, Session Victim are house mainstays. Hamburg expertise incarnate, their panache is a blend of in-the-pocket groove and samples. Accompanying our Deutsch comrades is 30 years of Australian dance music experience. Phil Smart is a bastion of forward-thinking electronic music. Schooled in the 90s, Smart has blessed every stage from basement to field. Immerse yourself at the bowlo this New Year’s.
Bulli – Last Dance w/ Motor City Drum Ensemble (Ger), Midland (UK), Mall Grab & Moxie
Sydney got you down? Too much hustle and bustle? Geared by frontrunners Astral People and Yours & Owls comes Last Dance, a shindig in the northern suburbs of Wollongong. Bulli is a small historic mining town known for coal, the Heritage Hotel and as of this year, one of the biggest parties Wollongong’s ever seen.
Headlined by Berlin based Motor City Drum Ensemble, this crate digging extraordinaire will be bringing his deepest cuts straight from a library of near 20000 records. His sets of percussive disco and house are some of the most sort after in the world. To see a man of this prestige in rural Wollongong is pretty astonishing, definitely one to tell your kids about—or not.
The Bucket List – Live Love Bondi w/ Late Nite Tuff Guy
Synonymous with a Sydney summer is Bondi Beach. It’s warm, salty and packed with Poms. A stone’s throw from the sand and incredibly sexy people is The Bucket List. It hosts a view of our most iconic body of water, an open-air setting and drinks to make your legs shake.
With this picturesque leisure centre in mind, what better way to soundtrack the height of your summer than with globe-trotting disco addict Late Nite Tuff Guy. The second alter ego of Cam Bianchetti, Tuff Guy forged out a meteoric techno career under the guise of DJ HMC. Where once he pounded factory walls, he now ignites dance floors with gut busting edits and basslines to make your head spin.
Victoria Park – NYE in the Park w/ The Presets, The Jungle Giants, Hayden James & Hot Dub Time Machine (+ many others)
If you like your bashes huge and surrounded by like-minded party buffoons, then look no further than Victoria Park. Now in its sophomore year, Camperdown’s loosest evening brings some of Australia’s best for a night of debauched arse shaking.
Laying claim to the national Wine Machine tour, it’s safe to say this NYE party is going to be a wild ride. No strangers to festival etiquette, punters can relax as they watch the sun set on a year that was. Then, with the countdown in your sites, turn it loose to some of the best in the biz. Featuring Australian legends The Presets, The Jungle Giants and Hayden James, you best save those resolutions for the 2nd of January.
Let us know which one you’ll be venturing to in the comments below.