Relentlessy sexy

We live in a pretty fickle town when it comes to entertainment. Dance party fever is over, big events rarely sell out and club nights come and go faster than a drag show costume change.

So why is it that the Ice parties have never felt the chill? Well, the hard-edged sexy sounds and loyal fetish throng certainly combine to make for a very seductive environment.

The distinct lack of podium princess Barbie Dolls is a big factor too. It means the very queer crowd are quite uninhibited and things get delightfully steamy on the dancefloor.

We might be a flighty bunch of beautiful people here in Sydney, but sex still sells in a big way. So Ice continues to throb to the lush music of DJs like Luke Leal and Mark Murphy, while true party whores pack the event to capacity.

Three years into the Ice phenomenon, each party is still hotly anticipated. With Ice’s latest offering, Relentless, a little over a week away at the Midnight Shift Club, preparations have obviously been under way for some time.

Leather has been polished, chests are getting waxed and a multitude of steel-capped boots are preparing for some hardcore dance floor action. Oh, and of course, there’s a bunch of production specialists working behind the scenes to make sure none of that hard work goes to waste.

Craig Payne is one half of the dynamic duo responsible for coordinating and promoting the Ice parties and he is very excited about the upcoming event. Payne said the high production levels and attention to detail are a big part of what the Ice reputation is all about. No expense has been spared for the Relentless experience.

We always spend a lot of money on productions. We have our own personal levels that we want to adhere to, with the sound and lighting and lasers. So we’ve set up really high standards and I think that’s one of the things people really enjoy. It’s not about making money, unfortunately. It’s about creating a party we love, Payne laughed.

It was inspired by spending three months in Europe and just loving Trade. We came back and thought, -˜What are we going to do now? We’re going to have to make our own.’ Ice comes out of Trade but it also comes out of some great clubs in Berlin and Barcelona as well. So this was like bringing all of those together and giving Sydney something new.

The Ice boys love pushing the party envelope and the renovated Midnight Shift provides a great space for them to work their magic. The laser show projected onto the venue’s water feature at the last party was a show-stopper that still has people talking.

Moving the party from the Metro to the Shift halved the numbers that could be packed onto the dancefloor, however. The smaller capacity of the new venue means that tickets are limited and sell out fast. There are obviously just far too many naughty boys and girls wanting to get down and dirty on the dancefloor in this city. Who said the sparkle has gone off Sydney?

Details, details, details. Relentless takes over the Midnight Shift Club from 11pm on Saturday 20 July. The DJ line-up (so far) includes Damien Filer, Luke Leal, Tim Spinks, Doug James, Buck Naked and Mark Murphy. Tickets are $50 from Mephisto Leather, S(a)x Fetish, Toolshed Darlinghurst, Spank Records, Central Station Records and Eagle Leather (Melbourne).