- The weather might usually be a dull topic of conversation, but it was top of mind at Mister Sunday in Sydney. The Harbour City was only the second place outside of New York to host Eamon Harkin and Justin Carter's celebrated party (London is the other). Though Sydney is famous for its sunshine, rain poured relentlessly throughout the outdoor event at Belmore Park, a patch of greenery that resides across from the city's busiest transport hub, Central station. It was the kind of weather to keep people away, yet the show went on. After all, when would Mister Sunday come to town again?
Harkin and Carter are well established on the touring circuit, but Mister Sunday was different: it was their party, their rules. One uninitiated security guard, who was caught filming the action, found out to cries from the crowd that phones weren't allowed on the dance floor. The DJs, huddled inside the booth, already had the place moving by 4 PM, leaning on tribal bombs like DJ Gregory's "Head Dubbing," which sounded particularly punchy on the four-point VOID system. In a city where noise complaints are all too common, it was great to hear that the quality of the sound hadn't been compromised.
Aside from the bar, the dance floor was one of only two places where you could keep dry. It was covered by a large tarpaulin, which, when the winds pushed it up high, incited cheers of amusement from the crowd. The weather became a strangely unifying force, as people rallied with positivity to counter the conditions. As a friend remarked: "The one good thing about the rain is that it keeps people on the dance floor."
Harkin and Carter cycled between disco and soul cuts like Sylvester's "I Need You" and Loleatta Holloway's "Love Sensation," then to musclier house such as Paperclip People's "Paperclip Man" and DJ Nori's "80's Drugs," which sent the floor into a frenzy. On several occasions, gusts of wind wreaked havoc with the turntables, forcing the pair to reset or skip to another track. But nothing was made of it—the crowd was generous and supportive in a way that felt rare in the age of expensive parties and big-name DJs. At 8 PM, the strings of "I'm In Heaven" by Touch Of Class rang around the park, the ground soaked and muddied from dancing. It was a fitting finale, another slice of paradise on an otherwise dour day.
Photo credit /
Paigge Warton