From the archives..
This photo was taken soooo long ago in a world far far away, at the Newtown Festival in Sydney. Everyone in the inner city couldn't wait for this, the best festival in the area. Everyone knew everyone, there were dog shows, lots of ferals with dreadlocks (at least until rent increases sent them off to the Blue Mountains), food, cool bands and heaps of colourful clothes! I recall seeing Frenzal Rhomb and all the local Newtown bands and even the Whitlams just as they were starting to get popular (way before they became an elevator music band). I'm sure even the mighty P. Harness played there one year..
Vince (one the right) and Kitty (in orange) were my bestest buddies, along with Tom and Rachel Button. This pic is of Vince's housemates, they lived in the ultimate party house on Linthorpe Street, I think it was number 4. I remember I was wearing my cool Smurf pants, and just before I took this pic I got a ring stuck on my finger, and I had to go to the St John Ambulance tent to get petroleum jelly to to lube it off! Hehe, everyone laughed at me for weeks about that.
I sometimes wonder if the Newtown Festival still has that awesome vibe it used to have in the late 90s. By the time I left Sydney to go travelling in 2001, the forces of gentrification had already changed the spirit of most of Newtown. Although South of King Street it was still charging along. I will have to write a long entry about life in Newtown, I have heaps of rolls of Super 8 film of just hanging around town that I would love to put online here for everyone to watch. I filmed the two famous Reclaim the Streets closed street parties on Super 8, when they closed King Street - a major arterial road for Sydney! It's gotta have some historical significance now!
Vince (one the right) and Kitty (in orange) were my bestest buddies, along with Tom and Rachel Button. This pic is of Vince's housemates, they lived in the ultimate party house on Linthorpe Street, I think it was number 4. I remember I was wearing my cool Smurf pants, and just before I took this pic I got a ring stuck on my finger, and I had to go to the St John Ambulance tent to get petroleum jelly to to lube it off! Hehe, everyone laughed at me for weeks about that.
I sometimes wonder if the Newtown Festival still has that awesome vibe it used to have in the late 90s. By the time I left Sydney to go travelling in 2001, the forces of gentrification had already changed the spirit of most of Newtown. Although South of King Street it was still charging along. I will have to write a long entry about life in Newtown, I have heaps of rolls of Super 8 film of just hanging around town that I would love to put online here for everyone to watch. I filmed the two famous Reclaim the Streets closed street parties on Super 8, when they closed King Street - a major arterial road for Sydney! It's gotta have some historical significance now!
posted by mrlederhosen at 5:32 pm
2 Comments:
Hey, remember when Le Sauvage and moi visited you in Newtown? Sheesh, almost 7 years ago.
Great days... great days. My neck is still lightly green from those damned dyed chicken feathers.
Gentrification? You better believe it. Many of us escaped to the New Newtown... Marrickville. Disturbingly, the festival this year will be entirely fenced! Thank you Pootown Police.
Post a Comment
<< Home