Getting to the Barracks is always a challenge, but venue creates a space that is not like anywhere else in Sydney. Saturday night was unusually warm and flawlessly clear, setting a fantastic atmosphere from the very beginning. Unlike most concerts at this location, the evening was a standing-only affair. For a dance-pop group like Sneaky Sound System, a seated crowd would have been a glaring misstep.
Sneaky Sound System emerged from the Sydney club scene in 2001, pioneered by producer Angus McDonald. When South African-born Connie Mitchell joined as lead vocalist in 2004, the group locked in their signature brand of electro house and electropop. Both Mitchell and McDonald are quintessential Generation Xers, and looking around the Barracks, it was clear that the audience was heavily dominated by their generational peers.
I last saw them last year at the Look Out festival in Lake Macquarie, where they played an early set in the blistering heat. On Saturday, they were the headline act, a placement they thoroughly deserved. The second the set started, the dancing began and continued entirely unabated. Electronic dance events can sometimes devolve into cramped, uncomfortable affairs, but this crowd had plenty of room to move. The vibe was overwhelmingly happy. It was a refreshing experience to be surrounded by people who were just there to enjoy themselves, completely devoid of the obnoxious behaviour that so often ruins a crowded floor.
The sound quality was crisp and brilliant across the open air. Connie Mitchell was an absolute revelation. Born in 1978, she brought the exact same raw energy and magnetism to the stage that she did twenty years ago. I heard several people nearby commenting in genuine surprise at her vocal power and relentless charisma. The band layered an uninterrupted build of music that kept the momentum steadily climbing. Everyone in the venue knew they would eventually drop their massive hit "UFO," and by the time the track finally played, the crowd was entirely primed for it. Admittedly, a few of those dancing Gen Xers might have been feeling the physical toll on their knees a bit more than they would have in the early 2000s.
The Barracks kept good food and drinks flowing to keep the momentum up, even with the obligatory slow line for alcohol at the bar. Ultimately, there is not much to overanalyze. It was just a profoundly fun concert, anchored by a band that still knows exactly how to make a Sydney crowd move.
