Over the weekend we put on our biggest party ever, inviting over 20 live acts to the Marly Bar in Newtown to celebrate the launch of Happy Mag Issue 12, the inaugural Sex Issue.
We took over all three levels of the venue for a night of epic live performances with a bunch of absolute legends, from the graceful art-rock vibes of the upstairs stage to the ragged techno of Tokyo Sing Song. Here’s a little taste of what went down.
On Friday night we launched Happy Mag Issue 12 with our biggest party ever. Here’s what went down when we took over the Marlborough Hotel.
Kickstarting the night, The Brights fought through a few technical issues to bring their infectious energy and fuzzy garage punk to the upstairs stage. Not long after, Sydney alien four-piece Dweeb City lit up the groundfloor with an out-of-this-world intergalactic set, complete with epic stage costumes, ghostly eye contacts and a little bit of fake blood.
Local femme four-piece and Angry Girl Band™ Hedy Lamarr then crushed a zesty live performance upstairs, full of hard-hitting rhythms and feminist anthems, leaving the crowd feeling empowered. Newtown locals The Lazy Eyes followed this up with an energetic performance of Beatles-esque jams filtered through their unique psych-rock sound.
Down on the ground floor, rock n’ roll prodigies R.M.F.C geared up for a huge set of tight fuzzy riffs, punchy drums and driving lo-fi basslines. Keeping the crowd fired up and sweaty, Flight to Dubai followed, bringing utter carnage with a performance of epic proportions.
Pyjama Sundayz took to the upstairs stage soon after, decked out in matching pyjamas, they brought the stage to life with a lively, lighthearted performance of funky spaced-out jams. They even played air guitar on shovels. Meanwhile, the boys from Bonza Records spun some spicy tunes to warm up the floor downstairs in Tokyo Sing Song.
The night was well and truly in swing by this point, with crowds on all three levels soaking in some of the best local live acts this city has to offer. By the time A. Swayze and the Ghosts and Lupa J had hit their respective stages, the place was heaving.
A. Swayze and the Ghosts had the ground floor crowd in an absolute sweat-soaked frenzy as they unleashed their chaotic live performance.
Shortly after, Lupa J closed off the upstairs stage, bringing a unique live electronic set, paired with her dark, passionate vocals and hard-hitting industrial drums, it was a truly memorable performance.
Flyying Colours then hit the ground floor with a hard-hitting, psych-tinged performance to close off the stage for the night.
With the bands and live acts of the ground floor and upstairs stages done and dusted, the crowd moved down to Tokyo Sing Song for their evening dose of bass-soaked dancefloor grooves.
Drox kept the Tokyo Sing Song dancefloor thumping with a tasty selection of tech and acid bangers, warming up the floor before Buzz Kull hit the decks for his headlining live set, putting the crowd in a trance with his signature darkwave electronica. Caciara followed with his delicious selection of dramatic and danceable, hard-hitting beats to finish off the evening.
All in all, it was an epic night that resulted in a hangover that was most definitely worth it.
