Sydney University’s Manning Bar has held some pretty attractive gigs this past week, one being CLUB NME this Saturday past. Headlining acts were Tennis, Andy Rourke (from The Smiths), Philadelphia Grand Jury, Yacht Club DJs and Purple Sneakers DJs. For those of who you aren’t in the know, NME is a massive Indie music magazine in the UK that is currently running events around the globe.
To our dismay, the Yacht Club DJs pulled out of the night’s performance due to illness. This left a few delays in the running of the night, however it still proved fun overall.
Usually the Manning is packed out with this kind of event, except this time around it looks like the Mardi Gras won the crowds. Sydney’s Tennis kicked off the night and professed towards the end of their gig (this is about the time I arrived) to have coined a new name, ‘Tortoiseshell’. An interesting bunch of young chaps they were and if I have to draw a parallel, think The Killers with bongo drums. Their sound was fluid, and really classy to watch.
According to the set list, Bass player from The Smiths, Andy Rourke was on next to spin his decks. Unfortunately, when I looked for him he was not on stage, which makes me wonder if he was indeed there.
I’d wager the next group has toured the most in Australia this past year. Philadelphia Grand Jury rocked out with their usual impromptu antics, motor mouth MC and a new (well new to me) drummer from Michigan. The last time I caught the Philly Jays, they were much quieter, so this drummer is a definite plus to their showmanship. Bass player Bad Genius received adoration from the crowd with several young males impersonating his moves on the dance floor, one of whom lassoed a t-shirt at him, clasping around his neck mid keyboard solo. He then proceeded to strip, put on this t-shirt and swan off stage. The Philly Jays are always amusing, and the new drummer was very popular after their performance when he hob knobbed with the student populated crowd. We also spotted Jake Stone from Bluejuice in the audience.
The Purple Sneakers DJs finished off the night, with a nice selection of indie hits from the Bag Raiders, Mumford & Sons and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, to name a few.
It felt long in between sets, the rapid crowd dissipation after Philadelphia’s set and the absence of the Yacht Clubs was a little disappointing, but well made up for by the other acts. Overall a fun night out.
