Paul Mac ready to party
The last time Paul Mac fronted a Mardi Gras audience -“ closing the Sleaze Ball in 2002 -“ it was a classic Mardi Gras production number, with 50 dancers and a going-off RHI.
At this year’s party, he says, things will be a little different. Not only will a 10-piece band and guest vocalists accompany him onstage, he’ll be sticking around for a half-hour live set.
This is something else, he says. A full-on live show. If you don’t like live music, then stay out of The Dome when we’re on. But if you do like live music, you might finally feel like you’ve found your home.
Other artists performing in The Dome this year -“ like The Presets and DJs Seymour Butz and Gemma -“ have the potential to revitalise the party, he believes.
What would happen musically at the alternative party is actually happening this year in the Dome, which I think is the most exciting thing about it, he says.
It’s really brave of Mardi Gras to do it, and I’m sure there’ll be complaints and all of that, but the way I see it is, if I was 23 and saw people like The Presets were playing, I’d have a whole new reason to go to Mardi Gras.
Mac’s long music career includes two high-selling albums, 3000 Feet High and Panic Room , a hugely successful collaboration with Silverchair’s Daniel Johns and remixes for just about everyone.
Although he hasn’t been to every party in recent years, Mardi Gras still holds a special place in Mac’s heart.
I love it. I just love everything it represents, he says.
It’s really important for Sydney, it’s really important for me personally.
I think I went to my first one when I was 19 and confused, and I got there and realised there was more than just me out there. It was like getting in a time machine and ending up in Rome or something -“ so debauched and free and thousands of people in a headspace that was so free and liberating.
But you know, as you get older you tend not to go every year. And for some years -“ as I’m not really into the music that gets played at Mardi Gras -“ musically it’s not been a great experience. So I’ve only gone for other reasons: my friends have been going, or it’s felt like a good year to go.
This year, it really feels like a good year to go. Suddenly all of my friends are going.
This year’s Mardi Gras party features the most diverse line-up of DJs and performers in years, from Boy George to Katie Noonan. Mac thinks this might just be the key to attracting a massive gay and lesbian crowd.
They’ve got to take risks, he says. You’ve got to evolve. But this year I think everyone is represented. You’ve got handbag. You’ve got retro, tribal -“ it’s all there. It’s good that it’s diverse. And well done to Mardi Gras for doing it.
The Mardi Gras Party will be held at the Entertainment Quarter, Fox Studios, on Saturday 3 March from 10pm to 10am. Tickets are $130/ $100 and are available online at the Ticketek website or from Ticketek outlets.
