The House may be closing its doors, but not before one last roof-raising victory lap.
The final party for one of Australia's most electrifying live acts, Northeast Party House, kicked off their farewell tour at Freo.Social on Friday (17 October).
After 15 years of transforming dance floors with their magnetic, messy and impossible to resist dance-floor anthems, it was a night drenched in euphoria, pumping with heart and the kind of kinetic energy that only comes when everyone knows they're witnessing the closing chapter of something special.
The air was thick with adrenaline with the crowd charged up for one, last, euphoric riot. Jamming fifteen years of motion into one unstoppable night is no small feat, so as the venue filled to the brim at this sold-out show, you could feel the goosebumps of excitement tingle through the room.
To warm us up and get us settled into the night's antics, Naarm DJ and producer Benson set the tempo with one of his radiant and rapturous sets; turning the Fremantle venue into a sweat-slicked party.
His seamless blend of electric grooves and playful drops had the crowd locked in and ready to cut loose. With a cheeky smile he asked the crowd: "How good’s this?" as he stoked the fire, prepping the room for combustion.
The crowd now charged and ready to explode, the compass was now pointing 'north east'. As the house lights dimmed, the legends of the hour entered the stage, bottles of bubbles in hand, the tone of joyous celebration filled the packed-out room.
Thunderous applause exploded with cheers of admiration as the band hugged one another and waved to their adoring fans. We were ready for Northeast Party House to blow the roof off.
The Naarm six-piece band have always thrived on turning live shows into full-bodied celebrations and this final party was no exception. Fronted by the magnetic Zach Hamilton-Reeves, the band's chemistry is and was undeniable.
With guitar from Jack Shoe that snarled over Sean Kenihan's glittering synths, while Oliver Packard's bass grooves anchored the chaos and Malcolm Besley's precision drumming kept the whole thing pulsing like a highly caffeinated heartbeat.
As the boys kicked off our weekend with 'Any Given Weekend', the room was electrified by the soundtrack to rebellious decisions and core memories. The perfect opening song to set the tone for the night; creating a vibe that was equal parts rave, reunion and reckoning.
With a high-voltage blast of synths and guitar, their summer-sounding trance tune 'Magnify' lit up the room with bright neon energy. The room echoed with fans singing back the lyrics as the band looked as though they were having the time of their lives.
Shifting gear from party anthem to rock & roll, 'Heartbreaker' heated us up with some powerful indie-rock energy. Building momentum for the night with cow-bell slaps and a trip down memory lane, we were led back to the party people's first EP debut with 'Embezzler'. Being one of the first major tracks from Party House, the band reminded us of their raw rock-band roots.
As the room boomed with thunderous claps to the beat and bopping bassline, 'The Haunted' was next up. The lyrics of 'we all stay on the wrong side' washed over the crowd as I thought to myself 'if this is the wrong side, the right one can wait'!
Northeast Party House continued to live up to their name as they kicked on with the housewarming for their afterlife with their jamming track 'Your House'. The kind of track that makes you grin – more wink than whisper – it's pure mischief.
As the venue continued to build in electrifying energy, Sean took a step out from behind the synth and launched into the crowd for a surf. With a cowbell in hand as he rode the waves of fans, everyone cheered him on with cheeky glee.
As the stage glowed with orange laser lights and smoke continued to fill the rambunctious room of rebels, the golden sounds of 'For You' filled our ears, lifting our hearts with the sounds of summer nights. The perfect track for some surfing thought Malcolm as he stepped out from behind the drums and dove into the crowd for his turn to ride the waves as Zach jumped in to keep the beat behind the drums; now that's how you party.
The rebellion continued with the guys cover of Blink-182's 'Dammit', the ultimate millennial anthem. Given the demographic of the crowd that filled Freo.Social, the band had everyone singing "I guess this is growing up" at the top of their lungs, as we enjoyed the reminder of our formative teen years.
Not thinking it was possible, but the celebration specialists then kicked it up a notch with 'Shelf Life'. As the crowd burst into a bop, the chorus of 'yeah yeah yeah' felt like a victory cry and every drop a declaration of 'we made it'.
The room was pulsing with groove, until the dreaded cut of power to the sound system stopped us all in our tracks. Being the champions of good times that they are, while the band tried to sort out the power situation, Zach took a moment to shoutout a founding member of the Party House crew, Mos.
Finally they sorted the sound and bounced back with 'Cranky Boy' as the crowd erupted back into the high energy where we left off. We were back, or so we thought. Yet another sound cut out. The band was holding it together and putting on a brave face, but you could tell they were frustrated, cranky boys.
What do you do when the sound cuts out at a gig? Chant of course. Band founder, Mos took to the stage and kept the crowd entertained with some back and forth. With some of the sound coming back it was now Jack, Malcolm and Oliver taking their turn to keep the crowd attention with some improvised jamming.
The patience of every human in the room paid off, as the Northeast boys launched into 'Brain Freeze'. As the lights strobed in time with that spiralling synth line, suddenly the room was a dizzy, euphoric blur, with heads spinning, arms flung wide and everyone shouting along like they'd surrendered to gravity itself. The perfect segue into their cover of the Yeah Yeah Yeah's 'Heads Will Roll'.
Commencing their final lap around the track, we headed to the last few songs of the show, with 'Dominos' next up. With its unstoppable pulse and echoing refrain of 'you like when we drop, like dominos', it felt like the party had collapsed in perfect alignment as the whole room became a rhythmic eruption.
When 'Youth Allowance' kicked in, the room lit up like a collective inside joke. Every lyric half-sung, half-shouted through grins. My friend Kym laughing as she mentioned that she used to sing this song when she was on youth allowance. It's rebellion disguised as revelry, a wink to every millennial still dancing through overdrafts and hangovers.
Dancing with one of my oldest and best friends, Steff, it struck me how many memories this band had quietly scored for us. Every chorus, every drop, a flashback to who we were when these songs first found us.
Running into some other good friends (Kym, Blayze and James) earlier in the night added an extra spark of nostalgia and connection. The same friendship and beautiful chaos that's always powered Northeast Party House.
As we came to the end of the show, the sound issues were back once more. The band pushing through the cuts of sound and trying to make the best of a disheartening situation.
Zach shared with the crowd they were going to skip the traditional encore and just get right into their last song 'Calypso Beach'. They made it almost all the way through their absolute banger of a song before once more the sound system failed. With the fans' support, the room sang the final lyrics together in true camaraderie as everyone jumped on their friends shoulders to elevate the love.
Freo.Social had provided a fitting backdrop for Northeast Party House's farewell of chaos. Intimate enough to feel connected, but big enough for the sound to breathe. The heritage-listed building, once a century-old drill hall, has been reborn as one of Fremantle's most vibrant live music hubs.
Even with the disappointing technical issues, the energy and love for the Northeast Party House legends ran thick in this crowd. An attitude of 'we will take what we can get' was potent among the fans. Not exactly the way I'm sure the band wanted to kick off their Final Party tour, but it was still a riot non-the-less.
As the final beat faded, it was clear Northeast Party House weren't saying goodbye so much as signing off in capital letters. Fifteen years of chaos, sweat and serotonin distilled into one explosive night. It was the perfect full stop on a career built from dance floors and devotion.
They didn't just throw a party, they left us still humming, still moving, long after the lights came up.
theas
