To say I was excited to see British break-beaters The Freestylers in Sydney’s Chinese Laundry is an understatement! Having already seen them twice in my home town of London and, both times an awesome night was had. I suspected this time it would be a night for me destroy the dance floor (especially with my – only on special occasions – b boy inspired moves) but I wasn’t too sure how the moves, or The Freestylers, were going to go down over this side of the world.
There really was no need for me to worry that I would be the only one busting out some funky moves on the dance floor. Chinese Laundry was totally packed out. Everyone in the main dance area was well up for a Free-style session. It was intense, the crowd was already electric (and incredibly sweaty). With a mix of locals and a fair few Brits too. I felt quite at home with an electro loving crew. I can honestly say now that I feel at home in Sydney knowing that breaks/DnB and dub are embraced over this side of the pond as much as we embrace it in the UK.
As soon as The Freestylers hit the decks and dropped their first track the crowd went crazy! Track after track of dance floor anthems had us all raising our arms to the roof in appreciation and dancing our socks off. The sweat was literally dripping off the ceilings, which was the only downside to one of the best dance sessions I’ve been to in the last couple of months. The low ceiling of the Chinese Laundry may enhance the atmos for an intimate crowd, but for one as large as The Freestylers pulled, the venue choice was a poor one.
The Freestylers have been in dance scene now for over a decade and still surprise us with their truly unique and varied chart topping tunes. Spinning tracks such as a remix of Daft Punk’s Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and Pendulum’s Tarantula the boys behind the wheels of steel made the air vibrate with bass so hard you could physically feel the bass pressing into your skin. The Freestylers always seem to want to take their music to a new level and they do not disappoint.
Overall Friday the 14th of January with The Freestylers was one of my best nights in Sydney so far!!
Photo by Liz Bell
