The fourth edition of the “john” party was (as usual) dark, smoky, filled with hot fashion-y boys, bears, Sam Sparro-look-alikes, chesty stringy singelets, and a minor pop star, and sounded like the 80s had come back to life.
But it was much more sparsely attended than previous parties and next month it will be “taking a break” – who knew Melbourne hibernated so much in its grey, drizzly Winter? Apparently people just aren’t going out. The party had been packed to the gills on my other visits, but this time the whole upper dancefloor was closed and though the lower dancefloor- strung with bedsheets on wires for that cool lo-fi decorations look – was packed, the bar adjacent wasn’t.
I still liked it though. It is still Melbourne’s best part and I hope it will bounce back after its mini-break.
I was startled to see an enthusiastic reaction to this song; INXS’ “Original Sin”. Time hasn’t been kind to them; once one of Australia’s (and indeed, the world’s) biggest bands today they are hardly remembered. I hadn’t thought of them for years. But this song, from way back in 1984, seemed absolutely modern and in tune with the dancing gays (interesting as well, since in its time INXS were the antithesis of “gay music”).
INXS – ORIGINAL SIN ( DANCE VERSION )
