The release of the debut Any Given Weekend from Melbourne’s Northeast Party House was a joyous occasion for me. I rant on and on about the time I saw them in Newcastle with basically no crowd and back then they were a powerhouse of live musical brilliance as it was. This time around they announced a bunch of Sydney shows to support their golden current album, and I was stoked enough to attend the free show down at Beach Road Hotel in Bondi a couple of weeks ago.
The boys from NPH are a humble bunch. Their appearance on stage at the start of the set was liken to a substitute science teacher, struggling to control a bunch of rowdy year eights. They slinked out on to the stage amongst the slew of 90′s hits that played through the sound check and got on with it. Off to a slow start on the first track, it seemed they were still getting the hang of the mix, as guitars dominated in parts they weren’t supposed to and no help from the electronics – one of the vital parts of their unit.
By the time they reached the third track in the set, the face-melting Sick Boy, they ripped through it with slick energy, reassuring the crowd that they’re in safe hands. Fake Friends followed with conviction, drilled into a crowd of people that, judging by the show of hands when asked, hadn’t yet collected the latest album from the boys. As they nailed down the words, “We can hit the east coast, make this shit devastate,” the audience knew they would be true to their words.
More widely known tracks like the smoother Pascal Cavalier, the popular The Haunted and Empires brought the house down as the boys found their happy place. As always though, the mighty Embezzler was the spot to watch. They absolutely nailed it home with that one, and you could see it in the eyes of everyone involved, as the crowd jumped and spasmed all over the place, yelling “BEAT, RAH, TSS, HOOH!” It’s pretty much the most fun you can have at a gig.
Wrapping up with the party anthem that is Youth Allowance, Northeast Party House were true to their name and got the crowd partying until the night’s end. They’re truly one of my favorite bands to watch live. They’re still lesser known than some of the other upcoming Australian acts so every show is as intimate as they come, but so professionally crafted that it’s actually an impressive evening to watch these boys smash out their set.
The first tour to support the album is now over, but fingers crossed they will be doing a few more over the coming year. Keep a look out for announcements and pick up the new album here: https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/any-given-weekend/id862962069