Ever since watching the Sex Pistols boat party scene in Sid & Nancy, I have believed that by boat is the only way to party! So when The World Bar announced the Teenage Kicks Harbour Cruise, how could I refuse? However, when I discovered that the starring guest DJ would be Mani, bassist for the Stone Roses and Primal Scream – and total freakin’ legend – I was so excited that a little bit of wee may have come out.
The start of the evening could actually have been a scene from Sid & Nancy on account of the inappropriate English weather. Sydney Harbour? In the middle of summer? You could have fooled me. In a way though, it was rather appropriate for the highly British weighted crowd! However, the weather certainly did not dampen any spirits and as we set off from Darling Harbour, there was a mutual feeling this would be a great night… aside from one or two dubious sea sick prone faces.
Special guests, The Vines DJ’s, and Teenage Kicks resident DJ’s Mick Jones and Tom Libertine were among the support that truly did get the party started and the boat a rockin’; but there was no doubt who the star of the night was – Mani was indeed the man! He surely has to be one of the most genuine lads to ever grace the Indie Rock scene. The indie crowd was fantastic and totally lost their shit on the dance floor all night long to classic indie tunes from the likes of The Cure, The Specials, Blur, The Prodigy, and The Killers to name but a very select few… basically there was nothing but musical high points to compliment our night on the not so high seas. And when Mani pulled out some of his own past accomplishments such as I Am The Resurrection and Rocks, well I just felt a little privileged to be there to experience this awesome vibe in such a beautiful setting.
When the HMS Teenage Kicks docked at midnight, the night was certainly not over. And far from the all too common disappearing act of the talent once the job’s done, the guys that made this night the kickass event that it was were clearly in it for the long haul. Off to Kings Cross everyone headed for the free after party at the World Bar, where we partied our arses off and drank Long Island Iced Tea’s from tea pots until the wee hours of the morning. What a night! Come on guys… what have you got for us next?
Photo by Graham Denholm
