Reviewed on Saturday June 4 (photo from Saturday May 28 event by Daniel Boud)
I had high expectations of the final night of the four Goodgod Super Club events at Vivid LIVE, held in the Sydney Opera House basement. The one night last year was so much fun, and this year’s lineup was promising.
Sometime in the last few months, Joey LaBeija was quietly replaced by Asmara, and then on Tuesday, it was announced that rapper Junglepussy was cancelling, with no replacement.
Refunds were offered, and it was pretty clear on the night they were taken. That, coupled with the stormageddon that lashed its fury on Sydney, meant that the venue was pretty empty (or emptier than I would’ve expected a Goodgod event to be).
Coming from Goodgod’s low ceilings and crowded, sweaty parties, the high ceilings of the Opera House’s Studio only made the room feel less intimate, not necessarily ‘super’. Last year, a stage was set up that gave the venue the desired atmosphere, as it oriented everyone toward the front. This year, with the DJ booth set up in the middle beneath a giant foil disco ball that occasionally hid behind Venetian blinds, the party felt a little more lonely. With just a DJ now, and no performers (excluding the dancers), it felt like you could stand anywhere, and dance in your own world without even seeing those around you.
Asmara put on a good show – remixing Enya’s ‘Orinoco Flow’ was my favourite part – but it wasn’t enough to hide the fact that a headline act had pulled out days before with no explanation or replacement.
The Studio, while high-ceilinged and roomy, is still an excellent venue to party in. There’s nothing like coming up from sweaty dancing in the basement to get some fresh air overlooking the harbour while the Vivid lights flash around you. This time, watching the storm from undercover while the music pulsated behind you was captivating, until you had to go out into the rain to find your way home.
I wish I’d been able to get to one of the other Super Club events, because an event that was missing its headliner while a storm raged outside just didn’t live up to the expectations I had of both Goodgod and Vivid.
