When discussing the Sydney night club scene, you would be hard-pressed to find someone who was unfamiliar with The World Bar. Most of us have gone through our “freshly 18, club-rat” phase, and can fondly recall donning a poorly chosen outfit and uttering the catchcry “LET’S GET SOME TEAPOTS!” Sadly, as we grow older, more mature, or maybe a little less fun, we feel like we have outgrown that favoured haunt, and settle for more age appropriate (but infinitely less fun) venues. I come bearing good news for all those who thought their World Bar days were behind them: World Bar is still there, in all its teapotted glory. The difference is in the event, not the venue. I present, with great aplomb, MUM at World Bar!
The World Bar as we know it for MUM on Fridays is all about the live music connoisseur – though I admit, when I first walked into the venue, I was a little sceptical. There seemed to be an inordinate number of people who were at least four years my junior (a big deal when you’re twenty-two), all donning snapbacks and the latest General Pants gear. Perhaps my elitism was challenged a little when downstairs, in the DJ area, I heard Gnarls Barkley’s Crazy being smashed with Beyonce. “Perhaps I had been wrong about this place,” I thought.
It wasn’t until I got upstairs into the live music area that really solidified how inaccurate my perceptions of The World Bar had been. There was a huge range of people here – some in their fifties, some wearing cocktail dresses, some wearing thongs. Teapot in hand, I watched on as Bumpercar Fighterpilots wowed the crowd. Drawing onlookers in through their Arctic Monkeys rendition, the band brought meltingly delicious pop tunes to the room, forcing those near-motionless head-nodder’s (such as myself) to bust out a full-blown dance routine. To my eternal delight, I think I even witnessed some salsa dancing.
After the Fighterpilots, there was a huge tempo change with the onslaught of Battlehounds, who came all the way from Adelaide. MUM transformed from an airy, whimsical atmosphere to an arena where only the fittest musical fighters would survive. Battlehounds are well and truly one of the next up-and-coming bands: their unique and persuasive sound captured the small, but dedicated crowd. Get a sprinkle of grunge, a touch of psychedelic, and a whole lot of rock and you have Battlehounds. You know every Tony Hawk skating game of the 90s? Personified by Battlehounds.
Let’s be real: MUM know what they’re doing. No longer is The World Bar simply a place for youngsters with a penchant for electronic music – now, live music enthusiasts are being well and truly spoiled for choice. The crew here are incredibly in touch with their clientele, providing bands that they know will fill a room and get your Friday night going. But they also know how to cater to those with a heavier taste, providing one band that fits in so incredibly well in to the Sydney live music scene you’d never know they were from Adelaide – poor things.*** If you love live music and haven’t gone here yet, you haven’t seen live music at its best.
***Disclaimer: I am from Adelaide and am thus allowed to rip on it – Sydneysiders, you don’t get the same privilege.
