- MCDE, Moxie and Mall Grab see out 2018 on the Wollongong coast.
- Bulli, a sleepy coastal suburb of Wollongong, about an hour south of Sydney, isn't the kind of place you'd think to put on a big New Year's Eve party. It's more a destination for family vacations, where holiday homes and tranquil coastline reign supreme. But this year, Last Dance rolled into town, with the Sydney promoter Astral People and the Wollongong festival Yours And Owls presenting a warehouse rave at Bulli Showground And Racing Complex. Long sold-out, the event's appeal was simple: it was far enough to escape the stress of NYE in Sydney, but close enough not to be a huge commitment. The lineup, too, was a big pull.
I arrived just after 9 PM to find a line of young revellers snaking out the venue. Already, Midland was rocking the main stage, which sat smack bang in the middle of the showground's large warehouse. The music blasted from an impressive four-point VOID soundsystem, bolstered by seven subs at the edge of the dance floor. There was something nostalgic about the space, its red brick surroundings and corrugated iron roof reminiscent of a school disco. Midland, cycling through house and disco cuts like DJ Sneak's "Show Me The Way" and Recloose's "Tecumseh," kept things warm and friendly for the crowd, who didn't seem in the mood for anything too challenging.
Wandering around the venue, the event felt like a mini-festival, with food trucks, (not quite enough) portable toilets and punters sitting on the grassy slope facing the racetrack. There was plenty of room to roam and chill out, and the bars were never too busy. At the outdoor stage, Adi Toohey held it down with uplifting house selections like Blaze's "Lovelee Dae."
Closer to midnight, up stepped Motor City Drum Ensemble, who worked to keep the party mood going. You could really feel the buzz in the room as the crowd whooped to CLS's rave classic "Can You Feel It." Outside, I briefly caught Nite Fleit surging ahead with 140-BPM electro and acid. I wished I'd caught more of her set, but the NYE countdown projections compelled me, and plenty others, to run back into the warehouse.
MCDE, playing up to the occasion, kept the music off for the countdown, before unfurling a slow, soulful disco cut as people hugged and kissed to mark the new year. Mall Grab delivered a set of fast, uncompromising techno to an increasingly rowdy crowd, though it was Moxie who delivered the most interesting set of the night. Out under the stars, she worked her way through tribal house, UK bass (Bruce's "Elo") and UK garage (Heavyweight Kru's "Bad Ass Bass").
Given issues like noise restrictions and the lockout laws, it can be difficult to find an interesting venue in and around Sydney these days, so hats off to the organisers for finding such a unique space. The production, especially the lighting, was absolutely top-notch. Sure, the music wasn't always thrilling and the crowd sometimes indifferent, but maybe that's just NYE.
Photo credit /
Chris Frape