2006 was a fun year for Sydney’s indie club music scene, thanks to the arrival of the DJ and event collective Purple Sneakers – although they stopped using the word ‘indie’ themselves in 2009.

“It’s such a catch-all term that doesn’t really say very much,” says founder Martin Novosel.

Over the past ten years, Purple Sneakers has grown into a beloved music brand. Sydney partygoers from 2006-2011 will have fond memories of wild club nights, first at the Abercrombie in Chippendale, and then at the Lord Gladstone Hotel, long before either institution had entertained thoughts of laying new carpet and serving gourmet burgers.

These days, the Purple Sneakers guys maintain their segment on FBi Click as well as their music blog, are touring DJs, and run occasional events and manage Australian artists. Now, Novosel and his colleague Gabe Gleeson are ready to celebrate a decade of Purple Sneakers as part of Vivid Sydney.

“It’s been five years since our last party so we’re psyched,” says Novosel. “We were going to throw a party to celebrate ten years and Vivid caught wind of it. Stephen Ferris, who runs the music program, was there and he was like, ‘This is amazing. We’re looking for a diverse range of events, and why don’t we make it a Vivid event?’ It’s nice to be endorsed by something that’s ‘high culture’, I guess. This is Vivid’s opportunity to showcase the underground of Sydney … You know, once upon a time [Vivid] was very Opera House-focused.”

Despite their long track record for hosting zeitgeist events and consistently supporting exciting Australian acts, the guys aren’t feeling too nostalgic about the early days. “There’s a tiny bit of nostalgia,” says Gleeson, “but since we’ve stopped running parties we’ve been running a website for five or six years and we do a radio show on FBi. I guess our upcoming party is just as much about what we’re doing in 2016 as what we were doing back in 2006.”

Novosel adds: “The parties have always been about showcasing what we call ‘emerging club music’. Back in the day we gave first shows to artists like RÜFÜS, The Rubens, What So Not, Alison Wonderland and Flume. We wanted to be able to do that again with new artists [like] World Champion or Mezko. We’re not just into electronic musicper se.It’s always been a combination of bands and producers. We thought it was a good way to celebrate the past and the present and the community that has naturally built up in Sydney and in Australia.”

The Abercrombie and the Lord Gladstone were very different places ten years ago, but even after the latter’s recent revamp, the guys still think it’s the closest they can get to the Abercrombie circa 2006. “The Lord Gladstone used to a have a very gritty vibe,” says Novosel. “These days it’s quite a different place. But if you compare it to the old Abercrombie it’s probably still the shittiest pub venue you can get. We definitely want to keep that trashy house party vibe.

“[The Abercrombe’s licensee] was so cool because he was always so happy to allow young people to have fun. He encouraged us and never stifled our creativity. He’s passed away now. He was awesome. There’s definitely a lot more pressure on licensees to adhere to rules now.”

Once upon a time, the Abercrombie even allowed Purple Sneakers to set up live bands on the rooftop. “I don’t think Mike Baird would be into that now,” Gleeson remarks. “I remember when Cut Off Your Hands were playing and the lead singer climbed the roof and fell off and broke his arm and just kept playing. I think he even fell on someone … You can’t even get a medium cooked burger now, let alone play music on the roof.”

Although the jangly guitar sound that held a monopoly in 2006 hasn’t reclaimed its dominance, some sounds are reemerging. “You definitely see a resurgence of the stripped-back electronic stuff that was going around at that time,” says Gleeson. “Stuff like Simian Mobile Discoand that French electronic sound seems to be picking up again.”

Novosel and Gleeson are nicely placed within the Australian music scene to predict what the future holds for talented Australian acts. “In the last five or so years we’ve seen a lot of Australian music taking a seat on the world stage,” says Gleeson. “It feels much more urgent and real than it has for a long time.”

“I’d also use the word ‘confidence’,” Novosel adds. “Australian new music is a lot more confident in itself than it has been in the past. Australian artists feel a lot more legitimate and legitimised … I don’t think that confidence was around ten years ago. Australia has a really good, robust network of nightclubs all over the country that supports young and developing musicians to hone their craft and travel around and make money before they explode onto the international stage. That’s really what’s so disappointing about what’s going on in Sydney. It’s threatening to decimate that infrastructure and keep emerging artists down.”

Purple Sneakers Tenth Birthday happens at theLord Gladstone Hotel, featuringWorld Champion, Mezko, Linda Marigliano, Levins and more, on Saturday June 18, as part of Vivid Sydney.

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