Happy New Year!

So, another year comes and goes. Last year, I spent New Year's Eve at a rooftop party in Sydney, watching fireworks explode all over the city. This year, I am in a freezing cold and sleepy town in the UK. Twixt the two dates, I have been to Melbourne, London, Johannesburg, Bangkok, Mumbai, Brighton and Bangalore. I have seen some amazing gigs, listened to some cracking albums and dropped some sick tunes with my lovely companion DJ Meowcat in various venues around Sydney.

During the last year, BobbySix.com has continued to grow to the extent that its little ol' founder - me - could no longer cope on his own and so enlisted a small but perfectly formed team of writers. Over the next year I hope BobbySix.com will continue to grow, the website will become a much more all-singing, all-dancing affair and that we will continue to branch out further into the world of arts/fashion/events. We've already made a start, and have evolved from a blog in which I pretty much exclusively wrote about fairly well-known international groups into a blog that also gives a platform to all manner of lesser-known bands, as well as featuring writers, models and artists and other creative types. 

Anyway, thanks for your wonderful support over the year. Here are a few of my personal highlights that didn't quite fit into the recently-posted End of Year Review.

Obviously, my trips with Smirnoff have already been pretty well documented, but there can be no denying that these made up some of my best memories of the year, Meeting so many amazing, artistic people and experiencing incredible things - everything from watching fireworks explode over Bangkok (pictured at the top) from the 74th story of a hotel to waking through poverty-ridden yet inspiringly upbeat Soweto (above) - has been something I will never forget.

In terms of interviews, my highlights from this year include talking to my hero Jim Bob, the simply fabulous model Eliza Sys and drummer Steven Nistor. I have conducted lots of interviews over the last few years and it is only occasionally that people really open up and talk with total honesty. I feel these three people did this brilliantly. Here are some snippets.

Jim Bob
"I don't know how to deal with new music anymore. I will no doubt change my mind but at the moment I have no desire to make, or rather sell, any new music." (full interview...)

Eliza Sys 

"I started modelling because I was a complete mess. I had so many complexes, I was extremely shy and almost afraid of new people. When I was scouted I saw it as the only shot I had to change the way I saw myself. Maybe getting something positive out of the fact I looked like a weirdo could help me to grow stronger and care less." (full interview...)

Steven Nistor
"Mark [Linkous] was a really sweet guy. He had a vicious sense of humor. But you could tell he was in a lot of pain, emotionally."(full interview...)

The other main highlight of the year for me came away from the blog. The launch of Surry Hills-based vintage store/event space Dear Pluto (below) proved to be the culmination of a couple of years' really hard work and creativity from the wonderful Emma Daniels. I am massively proud of her achievement and remain grateful to be a part of this project. If you live in Sydney and have yet to check the place out, then sort your life out and pay Emma a visit. You can pick yourself up some sweet threads for next to nothing. Or, if you're a band/artist/photographer/filmmaker and need a space to exhibit your work/show your film, then Dear Pluto is the place for you. Check out the facebook page for all the deets.

So, anyhoo. I reckon 2011 is going to be a cracker. Whatever it brings, here at BobbySix.com we will be sure to let you know about it. We'll tell you who you should be listening to/looking at/reading/watching/drooling over. Maybe we'll tell you what you should be wearing and where you should be going. Feel free to disagree with us. You'll be wrong to, of course, but, you know, it's up to you.

Remember in 2011, be nice, be kind, be helpful, be tolerent and have manners. If you can manage all that then you're a friend of ours. Happy New Year!

Words by Rob Townsend

Smirnoff Experience South Africa - Mashup Street Review

Johannesburg. The name is often greeted with a sharp intake of breath through gritted teeth and the quoting of some worrying crime statistic or other. Sure, the sprawling, disparate city has its share of problems, but to glance beyond the well-documented socio-issues is to find a vibrant community which - from the super-cool urban clubs to the corrugated homes of Soweto - has a fire in its heart and music in its soul. So, while JoBurg may not be afforded the same glamorous image as the other places that Smirnoff has stopped off at on its worldwide “Be There" experiences, it is with justification that this South African city found its way onto the circuit.

The warm people of JoBurg were certainly suitable hosts for such an occasion. While the general vibe is laid back to the point of being horizontal (order food from any restaurant and see if your stomach doesn’t try to eat itself during the seemingly interminable wait for its arrival), they sure as hell know how to party here. The local music scene buzzes with artists you and I have never heard of, while Sunday afternoons in Soweto are about as far removed from lunch at your Gran’s as you could imagine. Little wonder then, that, when news that Smirnoff were bringing international superstar DJ Tiesto to town, everyone wanted to be there.

While the world could watch the event - entitled Mashup Street due to the coming-together of different styles and cultures - online via a live-stream, the 3,500 folk who were lucky enough to score tickets (of which a chunk were international competition winners) found themselves, late on Saturday night, heading to an aircraft hanger 45 minutes out of town. As a cavalcade of cars drew closer to the venue (the location of which had remained secret until just a few days before the gig) the darkness and silence of the surrounding nothingness was punctuated by beats and baselines bouncing off the walls of the hanger. What started as a rhythmical hum steadily increased to an infectious, cacophonous dance-beat as the line of punters snaked towards the entrance.
Once inside, party-goers didn't know where to look/listen first. Djs SPECtacula, Dean Fuel and Ashton Abels spun the tunes while, at the 'Afro-Preppy' and 'Electro-Punk' themed bars, trendy young things were able to design their own cocktails on touch-screen stations and have them instantly conjured up by mixologists (whose eye make-up made them look like a cross between Michael Stipe and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle). Between the two main rooms, graffiti artists and breakdancers brought a sense of Newtown to proceedings with some live installations. On stage, female dancers looking like Jessica Rabbit let loose in a fancy dress shop stirred up the crowd while trapeze artists wearing not much at all intertwined arms and legs. Smirnoff's plan to "remix South Africa," was clearly going to be one helluva party.

While playing to so many people in their home city made this a seminal gig for BLK JKS (below) they were always going to have a fight on their hands trying to retain the attention of a crowd that wasn’t necessarily their demographic. Especially when there were so many other distractions in a venue so gargantuan that it would swallow most indie bands in one fun-sized gulp. Despite this, they put on a fine show which represented an intelligent coming-together of psych-rock, ska, alternative, reggae, jazz, and plenty of prog. With foreign influences such as TV On The Radio segueing with African sounds, it is obvious why Smirnoff chose them to open this mash-up themed party, and why they are doing as well outside of their country as they are within it.

Several extravagant vodkas later (fashionistas sipped from cocktails that had rubber ducks floating in them), the place was rammed as Tiesto appeared behind his decks and proceeded to play a surprisingly commercial set. Spinning the likes of Justice, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Florence, the Dutchman created an accessibility that suited the festival-type atmosphere, and his set was enjoyed equally by the hardcore gurners at the front, the liggers nibbling canapés behind the VIP rope and the parents at the back who, before tonight, probably thought Tiesto was a brand of washing powder. In keeping with the mash-up idea, he debuted Dreaming, his collaboration with BLK JKS.

Three hours of drinks, confetti canons, lights, video screens and partying South Africans hanging from the rafters later, it was all over (after a quick encore). Post-gig, the DJ gushed: "It was such a pleasure playing to the crowd in Johannesburg. I had such an amazing time playing at Mashup Street, I didn't even realise that I played an hour-and-a-half-longer than I was supposed to."So, while Tiesto's entourage went to find him a watch, everyone else piled into cars and headed back towards the lights of the big city, where afterparties would pop up throughout the night. Whether at official shindigs in swanky bars, impromptu get-togethers in hotel rooms or edgier gatherings in the labyrinthic streets of Soweto, Johannesburg buzzed with life long beyond the apologetic arrival of sunrise at 6.30am.

Once the cloud of hangover fuzz that blanketed Joburg lifted deep into Sunday and the foreign attendees began to brave the volcanic ash on their journey home, locals started gearing up for the next big occasion - The World Cup. If Mashup Street is any indicator of JoBurg’s ability to celebrate other cultures while proudly displaying its own, then it is going to be amazing.

And so it was time for the Smirnoff Experience to wheel itself out of town and to start planning its next big Be There occasion, safe in the knowledge that it had well and truly rocked Johannesburg to its very foundations with a party that went way beyond global branding. The inventive Mashup Street was so special, so commendable and such unadulterated fun because it amounted to much more than a mere promotional event. This was an opportunity for people to shed the shackles of their comfort zone and have a real one-off experience.

Moving Pictures

Once upon a time, I was known to piece together the occasional video of my travels. Then I broke my camera and I lapsed out of the habit of making movies (other than occasionally appearing in front of and shouting orders from behind the camera for David Ford). However, keen to finally hoist my body back on the horse (and dazzled by thge sights that surrounded me), I have pieced together some live footage from my trip to Johannesburg. Check back at bobbysix.com tomorrow for a full review of the Mashup Street experience.

Smirnoff Experience South Africa

Here at bobbysix headquarters, heads and eyes are too bleary to piece together any kind of coherent review of last night's event just yet. Suffice to say it was a top night. Expect to see a full rundown here once some sleep has been achieved but, for now, here are a few snaps.

BLK JKS prepare to bring the party to JoBurg

Today is the day of the big Smirnoff event in Johannesburg, which brings together Tiesto and local talent BLK JKS. Check for reviews and photos over the next couple of days. On the eve of the gig, I caught up with BLK JKS guitarist Mpumi Mcata, and asked him whether he was daunted about playing to 3000 people. "I wasn't," he laughed, in a way that made me realise I wasn't being especially helpful by reminding him of the sheer size of the aircraft hanger that will house the gig. "It didn't look that big when we saw it today, but someone else said the same to me though, so maybe it does [hold 3000]," he said with a shrug that suggested that, however many people are there, BLK JKS are sure to tackle the task with the same confidence and colourful personality that they exude away from the stage. These are big characters, and, if the reaction they are getting overseas continues to gain momentum, we'll be hearing a lot more from them over the next few years. In the meantime though, it's all about bringing the party to their hometown tonight.

If you're heading to the party tonight, click here for a taster from the Berlin Experience.

Swinging Soweto

I arrived in JoBurg yesterday for the Smirnoff Experience South Africa. Keep an eye on Bobbysix.com throughout the week and early next week for interviews and reviews of the event. You can find blogs about my trip elsewhere if you're interested. I'll also be posting plenty of photos and tweeting my heart out.

Today I went to Soweto. Here are some snaps.

Smirnoff Experience South Africa (the volcano-free sequel)

If you have been within earshot of me over the past few weeks, you will have heard me interminably droning on about how volcanic ash ruined my life by stopping me from going to Berlin. Excitingly, the good people at Smirnoff have instead invited me to Johannesburg for the next leg of their round-the-world party.

I'll be there this week, to review their big event, featuring performances from BLK JKS and Tiesto. Hopefully I'll get to speak to some of the artists too, as well as covering all of the sights and sounds of my debut trip to South Africa.

Watch this space for regular updates.