NYE AT NORTH GONG
SORRY FOR THE LACK OF PHOTOS FILM IS CURRENTLY GETTING DEVELOPED <3
2024 was a year of learning, a year of printing, a year of yearning and a year of sprinting. To top off the year we found ourselves heading to North Gong for some live music shenanigans. There were a few interesting things we learned at the pub’s classic NYE event. First up, we learned that Cody of Stranded Recording Studio washes his hair with isopropyl. Then, we learned that North Gong’s metreage is pretty significant when you consider the carpark and all. We learned that Teddy’s makes for a truly luxurious and personable green room. And we learned that Kate from Full Flower Moon Band’s guitar doubles as a noise vessel, as well as a broomstick and (completely harmless) gun.
With three stages set up for the evening, there was something on offer for everyone. The crowd ranged from old to young, bong rats to gong cats (sorry, couldn’t fight the rhyme). The punters began trickling in from around 4 pm, and by 5-ish, Bag Raiders had them tightly and enthusiastically gathered. As the iconic sound of Shooting Stars filled the air, you couldn’t help but feel an exciting sense of unity directing the night forth. Le Shiv followed with the next set that was cruisy and woozy, with even the woo girls on side and singing. We threw in chat between the antics with Full Flower Moon Band soon after, during which Kate discussed her stage persona with us. We then saw this in full force as she shimmied aggressively across the stage, her eyes rolling back in head, twirling hair between her fingers—all while navigating the technical difficulty of her guitar not producing any sound. The band held it together through all of this and gave us a hypnotic set that drew even first time listeners to the circuit. It was truly sensational; you couldn’t look away.
I’m sure most of the attendees can agree the night became a bit of a blur after that. There was Eves Kayrdas, who was, simply put, so cool. There was The Vanns, whose mellow, loving tunes helped us thaw out between busy visits to the dj stage. And finally, there was the ultimate high of Cub Sport who carried us into 2025 full of live-laugh-love energy. We were stoked to be there at North Gong for another celebration of another year in our glorious city that is Wollongong. The night was a true success, with so much great music and so many side quests. As always, we wanna give the biggest thanks to Yours And Owls for putting on a stupid good show.
We have our interview with Kate of Full Flower Moon Band coming very soooon!
