Club Kahuna
Friday, September 19, 2014
Featuring some of Perth’s best local trap/hip hop selectors, Bad Vacation’s fortnightly Friday event, Holidayse, hosted at the Good Shepherd in Leederville, has been achieving increasing prestige throughout the year. Having been lucky enough to attend the majority of these delectable excursions, the gains in size of both the line to the door and the swell on the floor have been noticeable. And for good reason: they’ve played host to a burgeoning scene of friendly vibes, banging tunes and a collectively wavy atmosphere, all coupled with some of Perth’s more affordable beverages. When Bad Vacation announced their plans to take over Subiaco every second Friday with the new Flamingos event, hosted at Club Kahuna (formerly Red Sea), it was already an intriguing proposition before the unravelling of a star-studded local line-up.
At the top of this bill was Zeke Beats, who has been an utter delight to watch in the build-up to his upcoming EP release with Saturate Records, and this set would prove no different. Featuring frequent interspersings of unheard previews with already known and loved forthcoming tracks Co-motion and Pay Attention, as well as single Doge, recently dropped in Perth by visiting trap lord UZ. When these imminently game-changing bass monsters are coupled with rare old-school bass singles from fellow Saturate producers (such as Drop A Track by Boats or Oh Allright’ by Joney), it makes for the creation of a truly unique trap/bass music set, of a quality rarely replicated anywhere in the world.
Chang was up next, having held down the resident headliner slot at Bad Vacation’s Holidayse events previously. The residency has seen him throw down long multi-genre sets, that whilst remaining trap- and hip hop-based, occasionally wandering into dubstep and DnB. This set was no different, bringing back the same energy and creativity that have marked Chang’s sets throughout the year. Zeke Beats and Chang were supported on either side by Yung Emperor and Midsole, Bad Vacation and Good Shepherd regulars, both putting up reliably bouncy and uplifting trap sets. The raw quality of Perth’s best beat curators definitely proved the showcase it promised to be.
Filled with inflatable flamingos that felt right at home in the midst of palm trees and totem poles, Club Kahuna was a fittingly larger setting which allowed the overwhelming opening night lines to file in with speed. The free flow of merry spirits, assisted by the parading of champagne bottles and opening night excitements, ensured that familiar Bad Vacation-shaped smiles were plastered on the faces of many patrons. After a quality evening of good music shared with happy clientele, the doors were shut on an opening night that will hopefully lead to more of the same. If you ever want somewhere wavy to soak up those good party vibes on a Friday in Perth, there is now always a place you can go.
JOSH LLOYD
