The Ultimate Test – Was Australia ready for Supremacy?
*Images – all images used in this article retain credit to Luke Davids Photography*
Dragging my exhausted self through three separate train trips leading me back to Sydney’s Southern suburbs (aka, home), I had enough time to ponder and reflect on the past nine hours which I spent inside the Sydney Showground witnessing the very first edition of Supremacy. With my eyes darting across the train carriage, I observed the numerous ‘cooked’ individuals who sat in their friendship groups. Chatting among themselves, these zombie-like ravers all had smiles plastered across their faces and despite the ratchet hangover they were facing, in this moment they all appeared rather content. Eavesdropping into a few of their conversations, these ravers spoke about their favourite moments of the night, which artists performed superior sets and of course, about the production.
And it got me thinking – was Australia ready for such intensity? After years of small-scale raw and Hardcore events, was Australia ready to be inflicted by the ‘Dutch’ way of doing things?
Long story short – was Australia ready for Supremacy…?
A bold move by event heavyweights Art of Dance, after three incredibly successful editions on Dutch soil, they set sail as they their supreme aimed fire down under. When word got out about Supremacy extending its reach, I was nervous to say the least. Although raw is on the rise in Australia (predominantly Sydney), we’re mostly a nation where people visit Hardstyle events casually. Unlike The Netherlands, where a large portion of youngsters classify themselves as die-hards, here in Australia finding individuals who live and breathe Raw is a lot less likely.
Sure, each year Defqon.1 Australia is packed and whenever Masif brings out an international artist the club is filled to capacity, however there’s a customary trust with these already-established concepts. So, aside from the Aussies who follow the Dutch scene, or have attended Supremacy before, this event is something totally unfamiliar. Something new.
I cannot stress how differently things work in Dutch and Australian Hard Dance scenes. Prior to the event one of the biggest differences was seen in the online marketing of Supremacy; Art of Dance displayed a refined and consistent voice within their scheme, whereas a lot of Australian concepts are typically less polished, but more humorous or random. I wasn’t sure about how the light-hearted Aussie rave scene would receive this and was worried that maybe they’d stick to what they knew instead…
Did Art of Dance hit the mark?
Due to the fact I had various tasks to do at the event, I arrived at the venue before the doors opened at 8PM. By this time, there was already a colossal line that ran for about two-hundred metres as fans were lining up to meet and greet Radical Redemption. This in itself was confirmation enough that Australia could very well be ready for Raw Hardstyle in its purest form.
Upon arriving inside of the venue and establishing my workspace, which just so happened to be where the paramedics were based, I thought to myself “well, this is going to be interesting.” If Aussies are known for one thing, it’s pushing extremes and this mentality seems to stick when it comes to drug and alcohol consumption at events. Festival culture and nightlife in Australia is in a sensitive place right now and how people ‘behaved’ at Supremacy would ultimately make or break the future of our scene…
With the doors opening at 8:30 and Chain Reaction opening the show at 9, once the music began I was thrilled to see the abundance of excited partygoers flooding through the doors and finding their place on the dance-floor. I was able to retreat from my peculiar work-space during the second act, as I witnessed the success of Sub Sonik. Making his debut down under, I wasn’t sure of how many people were massive fans of his music, however his accessible touch to Raw Hardstyle was exactly what was searching for.
Friends of mine I spoke to were incredibly happy with the line-up and were so excited to witness a handful of exclusive live-acts such as Delete VIP, War Force, Radical Redemption and Minus Militia. My raver friendship circle is a group of absolute fanatics who closely follow the artists, attend all of the events in Sydney and even travel abroad to The Netherlands to visit events. For them, Supremacy was a wet-dream come true, but when I thought about all of the fans who liked Hardstyle, but weren’t so ‘involved,’ it made me nervous as to how they’d respond to such intensity.
I left my work-space to venture out for parts of each set, and was astonished as to how well Raw Hardstyle was being received. Each of the artists gave it their absolute all, and you could feel the passion and energy radiating off each and every member of the crowd. It was far beyond my expectations – I honestly didn’t anticipate that the visitors would get THAT into it! I mean, sure, Australia has seen plenty of raw, but we’ve never particularly seen a concept that’s 100% raw and not to mention, in such a big venue.
In terms of the production, well, all I can say is one big massive fucking WOW. There’s a reason why Art of Dance hold a superlative status and it’s because they really know how to throw a fucking party! The Dutchies organised everything under the sun; from a solid stage, to lasers, strobes, smoke, fire and a monstrous, crisp sound-system, they really ticked all of the boxes when it came to the show’s elements.
I really enjoyed watching members of the crowd getting into the music; from private light-shows, to individuals giving 100% focus to portraying the most refined ‘muzz’ and people jumping around, screaming the lyrics to Minus Militia’s tracks, it warmed my heart to see how revolutionary this event was shaping up to be.
During the final hours of the event, the tempo was cranked up for an exclusive Masters of Hardcore takeover. This showcase saw Outblast putting on a spine-shivering performance, as he graced the Aussie crowd one last time. Followed by Angerfist, who smashed out a brutally energetic set, the final performance of the night was by Mad Dog, who closed down Supremacy with his vicious Italian beats!
So, to answer the question “was Australia ready for Supremacy?” I say hell fucking yes! The night ran so smoothly and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves. Visitors were respectful to themselves, their fellow partygoers and also to the artists. For a first edition in an unknown territory, I’d say that Art of Dance passed with flying colours and I really hope to see them bringing back this concept again in the coming years…
Congratulations to Art of Dance for successfully hosting the first edition of Supremacy Australia – it was certainly a night to remember and also a turning point for RAW down under. To all the visitors of Supremacy Australia, we hope you also enjoyed the night!