For the second year in a row, Sydney’s The Lockhearts have joined forces with a huge cohort of fellow musos to prove that the live scene ain’t dead.
Over the weekend, Old Mates Block Party boasted a lineup of thirteen bands, throwing out live tunes for around ten hours for a faultless day of ridiculously sweet talent.
Last weekend Old Mates Block Party and The Lockhearts proved with fiery credentials that live music is alive and kicking in Sydney.
What all started out as an idea to combat the view of journos who claimed the music scene in Sydney was dying, The Lockhearts decided to be one of the brave few to do something about the situation. In 2016 they got off their asses, and Old Mates was born.
Fast forward to 2017 and they upped their game, throwing a ‘party’ that was essentially the size of a small festival at The Factory Floor in Marrickville.
Kicking off just after midday, punters headed out to show support for the first bands of the day, with the venue being considerably full from the get go.
Kvlts of Vice were the first band to hit the stage, and as soon as they did, it was obvious that the energy and atmosphere throughout the day, from bands and the crowd alike, was going to be through the roof.
Followed by Moon, Wolves in Fashion and The Bitter Sweethearts, the sweltering heat outside was clearly not deterring anyone with the inside area surprisingly cool and air conditioned (a rare occurrence at a live music venue, it was a strange sensation to not be dripping in sweat).
Throughout the afternoon the stage then saw The Bottlers, Uptown Ace, Borneo and Twin Fires get up and do their thing.
Generally at an event with so many bands playing, you’re not going to like every single act, which is totally fair enough. Not everything suits everyone’s taste.
Which is what I used to think. There was not one act that I didn’t like. Each band delivered such high amounts of energy, and there was not one fault or slip up.
There were mullets, covers of the Backstreet Boys, cross-dressing and musos literally throwing themselves off the stage and that was when there were still five bands left to play.
I don’t think I was alone when I was wondering what else the day could throw at us.
Private Function played next, and were a definite standout of the day. Their energy was like something from another world, and their tunes perfectly matched.
The Persian Drugs and The Stiffys (boogie boards and space suits included) had the room completely packed and did a brilliant job of keeping spirits high before the final act of the night.
Rounding the night out were the legends of the day themselves, The Lockhearts, who played to an entirely packed room. Considering they had been at the venue all day and had organised the entire ticket, they showed not one sign of being tired or worn out, and played an absolutely stellar set.
The whole day was such a credit to the band, fellas who managed to put on a completely seamless event that ran like clockwork, and proved just how alive and thriving the Sydney music scene is.
Here’s hoping to many more Old Mates Block Parties in the future!
