Icebox Burning Up

Summer in Sydney might come around early this year, if recent temperatures are anything to go by.

And as the mercury rises, the Icebox’s recently launched Friday night, Burn, is aptly named.

In the past, Icebox has hosted various gay nights on a Friday, including Milkbar and Cream.

This time around the gay focus remains, with diversity of music and atmosphere another one of the features at Burn.

According to Burn’s promoter Jenny Barnett, the night’s patrons can expect a range of styles when it comes to the music on offer.

For the first two hours, we’re pulling out classic hits, says Barnett, giving the example of Paul Holden.

The next four are very alternative. So it sort of goes from one extreme, where you know all the words, to the next extreme, where you’ve never heard it before.

The result, says Barnett, is a venue which morphs from Friday night drinks early to weekend clubbing later on.

The first part is a bit of a cocktail couple of hours, and it sort of gets a bit harder and faster after that.

And if Burn’s opening on 23 August could be used as any indication, the clientele will be as mixed as its music.

I would say there were as many gay boys as lesbians there for the opening night, says Barnett.

But we had two birthday parties that night as well, and those people had straight friends and they all had a good time as well.

Refreshingly, Barnett says that the emphasis is more on the atmosphere than attracting the right people.

We’re trying not to say -˜it’s this or it’s that crowd’.

And upcoming events mean it’s likely that Burn will continue to draw a diverse crowd.

Chief among these is the arrival of UK super-DJ Mrs Wood, who will play Icebox exclusively over the Sleaze weekend.

Barnett says that securing Mrs Wood for the three days is a major coup for Burn.

Another plan for the night reveals one of the inspirations behind Burn’s name.

What we’d eventually like to do is burn our own CD, so that if you like the DJs and like the night, you can basically take them home, Barnett says.

That’s the long-term plan, so that we can branch off and do things that are a bit different, and give the DJs some exposure as well.

With this innovative approach to Friday nights, it doesn’t look like temperatures will be falling at Burn any time soon.

 

 

Burn is on every Friday at Icebox, 2 Kellett St, Kings Cross. Call 9331 0058 for more details.