Northeast Party House in Melbourne
The Northeast Party House single launch was one big, sweaty, glitter covered party. Ebe Cassidy & Vinisha Mulani were there for SYS:
The crowd at The Corner had been so warmed up by City Calm Down, Diamond and I Oh You DJs that the mood before North East Party House took to the stage was like one big warm, sweaty, well lubricated, beer-scented hug. The packed room was ready to keep dancing and appreciate anyone who took to the stage.
Northeast Party House didn’t just inspire love in Friday’s crowd. What they inspired was something entirely different; passionate, limb-flailing, gyrating, chanting, glitter-covered, crowd-surfing, starry-eyed adoration. If the Melbourne six-piece were in danger of being out performed by anyone on Friday it was the crowd, who gave an almost equally entertaining performance of a group of people who were having the best Friday night of their lives. The start of the set turned The Corner into one very large party and the crowd of strangers into a frisky group of friends.
The band took to the palm-covered Tropicana-themed stage in a smattering of onesies and cheek glitter and set the mood for their almost hour-long set kicking round beach balls to Coco Jumbo. If the audience were warm before Coco Jumbo they were well and truly committed after.
Every song was met with such vocal and physical enthusiasm from the audience, it was sometimes hard to hear the music over the party. Despite this it was impossible not to appreciate what was a very convincing performance by the group who sit somewhere happily in a mist of alternative dance rock.
The single of the launch, Pascal Cavalier started off smoothly and grew to a fever pitch of undeniable guitar riffs and many, many voices joining in with lead singer Zach’s inviting but nonchalant vocals. An amazing cover of the Gorillaz’ Dare saw the crowd churn with waves of jumping bodies. The growling, throbbing rendition of Embezzled kept security busy, wrangling a constant stream of crowd surfers, climbing up and jumping off the stage like over-excited lemmings.
Suggestive of what a younger, happier Bloc Party might sound like, the synth-filled, melancholy undertones of songs like Empires and Horror Hud lent a seductive, dreamy texture to the band’s sound, a subtlety which was somewhat lost in the chaotic energy of the live set but which lends a tantalizing depth to the recordings.
Jack, the thermal-onesie-wearing guitarist, having launched himself into many waiting arms on the back of a giant inflatable crocodile, almost didn’t make it back in time to finish the last song. The set ended with half the crowd on the stage and half the band in the crowd. A pretty appropriate ending for a gig that felt like one big rowdy, house party.
Pictures by Vinisha Mulani, words by Ebe Cassidy Northeast Party House play at Peat’s Ridge Festival this New Year’s Eve. Tickets here.
