Reviewed on Friday October 31 (photo by Ashley Mar)
Luna Park was the perfect venue for a quirky Halloween party – spooky in its own right, the place was decked out for the night in flickering lights, cobwebs, zombies and pumpkins. Eerie music played around the park and the distant screams of kids on the Mad Mouse only added to the Halloween vibes.
With rides included in your ticket our bodies were thrown around the harbour recklessly for a few hours, as if to prep us for the music to come. The Big Top foyer had been transformed into a paranormal party space, with glowing backdrops and hectic lighting; bands and DJs/producers split accordingly between the two stages. Kicking things off, Olympic Ayres gave us their energetic disco-infused jams, culminating in their single ‘Magic’, which – like many great bangers of the 21st century – gained huge popularity through its appearance on a FIFA soundtrack.
We were then greeted on the producers’ stage with the first circus performer of the night – a guy twirled fire sticks and ate them before introducing the otherworldly Willow Beats. The androgynous, earthly duo was almost spiritual in performance, with contemporary dance moves inspiring the crowd to follow suit. Kalyani Mumtaz’s mysterious, indistinguishable lyrics and ability to power over the backing beats was great through tracks like ‘Elemental’, sounding like Purity Ring playing in a rainforest.
Northeast Party House followed the next circus performance of the night, which was some kind of burlesque show involving a woman removing articles of clothing with a python draped around her. My Anaconda Don’t?
Future Classic’s new baby boy Basenji came on and filled the dancefloor with the very cute, very vogue off-kilter beats his scene is known for. Part Wave Racer, part Cashmere Cat, his set moved around trap, hip hop and kawaii beats including the Hi Tom remix of Jeremih’s ‘Fuck U All The Time’ and Sable’s edit of Justin Timberlake’s ‘My Love’. The crowd really got down when Basenji delved into his own catalogue, especially when he dropped the single ‘Heirloom’.
For its inaugural year, Ouija Beats performed admirably, and with a beefier lineup and more hype it could set itself up as one of Sydney’s banging Halloween spots in the future.
