Life finds a way on King Street

April 4, 2022

We sent reviewer Sophie Metcalfe and photographer Saz Watson to Newtown, Sydney for a good time:

Earlier this month Sydney’s Inner West finally were able to celebrate what we all like to call ‘Newtown Christmas’ with King Street Carnival. A three day weekend festival celebrating a huge cross section of the best that Gadigal land’s indie music scene has to offer. After two years of Covid related cancellations it looked like everything was lining up and we were going to be able to truly celebrate and support the local music community that we know and love, who have suffered momentous hardships and setbacks for two years running throughout the pandemic.

Then Climate Change came. Oh yes that’s right, turns out the scientists were right and the unprecedented influx of rain and flooding in the week leading up to the crawl meant that the King Street Carnival team were forced to cancel all outdoor events.

But after two years of navigating the crippling effects of lockdowns, quarantine and covid red tape, the good people were determined.

In a last minute dash, what was going to be a ticketed festival turned into a free smorgasbord of pubs and venues showing up for their town. Headliners were squeezed into mystery timeslots and people were packed into their favourite bars like sardines. With hearts open and arms wide, we embraced all that Sydney has to offer in our local King Street joints.

People gathered around the at capacity Union Pub on South King to watch Tropical Fuck Storm from the streets. Beers and joints were handed round as they peered across the road through the window at the patrons squeezed in and tasting other peoples sweat yelling FUCK YOU at the top of their lungs. We were saying fuck you to Covid, fuck you to climate change, fuck you to the libral party and hello to reliving a culture of sticky floors, passing water to our musicians and raising our DSLR’s above heads because there’s no way my 50mm 1.4 lens was capturing anything in this muck.

I could feel the joy emanating from BARKAA as she slayed to the people at Vic On The Park. There was love, there was connection and above all there was relief. We had made it.

Standout performances came from the psych community and shoegazers with Salary Men, Moody Beach and Micra all bringing big sound, distortion and some newly released tracks that we had not yet heard.

Hayley Mary’s momentous presence was felt emanating from the walls of Kelly’s. It was hot and intimate and magnanimous. There was so much beauty to be found with these world class musicians embracing the smaller stages, because this community is built off love, hardship and we had some serious healing to do after the past few years.

The team at King Street Carnival made history this weekend with a crawl like no other, made from sheer determination. It proved that no matter what is thrown at the world class Australian music industry, in the words of Ian Malcom the greatest mathematician that ever lived “Life really does find a way”.

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Check out our gallery, below. Click an image to enlarge.