Sun Cycle Festival 2021
The Dance Party Melbourne Deserved
Completing a bigger lap around the sun since its last sighting, Sun Cycle Festival returned in style, taking over the Sidney Myer Music Bowl for a Saturday night to remember. Run by Crown Ruler and WAT Artists, the first big event of 2021 had our team dancing along to the soul, jazz and electronica; safely partying alongside more people than we’d seen in 2020.
Entering the venue, we checked in with masks at the ready and made our way to our seats. One couldn’t help but gaze out at the new set up of Sidney Myer; a sea of tables, chairs and pirate pods sprawled across the venue to accommodate the latest set of restrictions. Thankful to be out and about again, we arrived bright and early to see everyone pouring in and experiencing the same feelings of wonder and excitement to be at a large-scale event.
In the daylight hours, the Welcome to Country was led by Uncle Colin Hunter, a proud and passionate Wurundjeri Woiwurrung Elder. Taking the time to educate punters on the impact 2020 had on the indigenous community, Uncle Colin marvelled at the crowd and told us it was ‘good to see people out in Melbourne again’.
Hosting the event for the evening was DJ Sophie McAlister and Chris Gill from Northside Records. With lots of fun and playful banter throughout each intermission, these two kept the tunes spinning and the party non-stop – without missing a beat.
The first act of the night was Australian band Izy. Fresh from releasing their latest hit single ‘No Further Than You’, their neo-soul tunes and catchy song writing were music to our ears. The trio brought something for everyone, and their variety of tunes and range of musical talent had everyone dancing along. Wax’o Paradiso was up next – the duo of Edd Fisher and Simon TK, who were self-described as bringing along ‘splendid krautback discotheque consisting of magic possums’’. Also known as the ‘Dimboola triangle of lost groove’, the pair lived up to their usual reputation and brought the party to the next level, where it stayed for the rest of the night. It was great to see the guys back in action, even if their time slot was shorter than their typical 3-4 hour festival slot.
C.FRIM was next on the list, coming out to receive the biggest round of applause, as well as the first widespread standing ovation for the night. Sporting a larger than life fluffy lime green hat, she performed a set filled with energetic beats that had people kicking the air and ready to make up for lost time. Mildlife lived up to their name, bringing with them a mellow psychedelic sound to chill out the crowd and bring a sense of bliss. Popular songs from their set included ‘The Magnificent Moon’, ‘Rare Air’, and their title track from last year’s album release ‘Automatic’. The psychedelic jazz enthusiasts had flute solos that would make Ron Burgundy blush, and were exactly what the festival needed.
Before we knew it, the headliner of this evening was upon us. Fresh from her trip from Europe, CC:Disco (aka Australian DJ Courtney Clarke) had her triumphant return to Melbourne at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl. Finishing the night with a variety of fun disco beats that have toured the globe, the party got even looser as people lapped up the final beats of live music.
Celebrating a diverse community with a lineup of eclectic and variety of talents, Sun Cycle did not disappoint. You’d be hard pressed to find a better crowd, and we had a great time getting to know our fellow punters. At the end of the evening, we were sad to see it end, but elated at what had been achieved, and the night that had been.