Rat Parties
Encyclopedia
Rat Parties were held in Sydney, Australia during the 1980s and marked the emergence of a consciousness that was fashion-aware, gay-friendly, hip to dance music and open, outrageous celebration. Along with the groundswell of acceptance Sydney's gay & lesbian community
and the twice yearly public parties produced by the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
this period.
contributed to many of the lavish costumes that now survive in a well catalogued retrospective of the RAT era kept at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum
.
on 22 April 1984. The early parties, particularly 'Ratizm' at the Paddington Town Hall April 1985 created a buzz, attracting an inner-city party crowd of heterosexual bohemians as well as gay men and drag queens. RAT parties typically had audio-visual presentations, bizarre props, party drugs, innovative lighting, underground cabaret groups, the best DJs in town and unusual live performances.The later large Sydney Showground events would feature amusements and rides, break out/chill out areas and a selection of food and beverage alternatives.
In 1987 Vidgen registered Recreational Arts Team Pty Ltd as a company. The events became larger, and were no longer exclusive eastern suburbs affairs where it was necessary to know the right people to obtain a ticket. The parties became famous for their spectacular entertainment and celebrity guests. Massive New Year's Eve parties were held for four consecutive years filing the Hordern Pavilion
and Royal Hall of Industries at Sydney's Showground where up to 14,000 partygoers could be accommodated. 'A Ratty New Year', was the first held on New Year's Eve 1988 the event was broadcast live on JJJ and featured a 4am live performance by Grace Jones
. Jones was due on stage much closer to midnight but refused to perform until Vidgen could provide a paper-trail of evidence that the performance fee had been transferred into her US account. New Year's Eve 1989 headlined Adeva
at the same venue. Although the budgets had grown from $5,000 to $400,000, costs and expectations also skyrocketed. Business was risky, profits were slim, and money made on one party was frequently lost on the next one.
, Pee Wee Ferris, Scott Pullen, Andy Glitre and Mark Alsop.
Spearheaded by these DJs, Australian dance music took off in the 1980s. Promoters behind events by FUN, Sweatbox, Bacchanalia and the standard setting Mardi Gras Party and Sleazeball booked inner city warehouses and tired old venues and transformed them into vibrant, packed palaces. By the end of the 1980s parties flourished all around the country, with promoters booking a constant flow of influential overseas DJs such as Paul Oakenfold
. While established rock venues suffered from lack of attendance, dance parties were frequently sold out.
By 1989 it seemed that a massive dance party was being held every weekend at an accessible Sydney venue and competition was fierce. The RAT team pulled back to focus their efforts on a single New Year's event each year that would be likely to generate a return. But their profound impact on Sydney's bacchanalian awakening had already been made.
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
and the twice yearly public parties produced by the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras
The Sydney Mardi Gras is an annual LGBTQI pride parade and festival in Sydney, Australia, and draws in thousands of visitors from around Australia and overseas...
this period.
RAT Team
Over 35 Rat Parties were organised by the Recreational Arts Team between 1983 and 1992. The core of the team was Jac Vidgen, Billy Yip and Reno Dal. Vidgen was a gregarious organiser who became the promoter and business leader. Yip was a creative artist and his clever posters, fliers and ads with co-ordinated design concepts became noticed around Sydney. Reno Dal was the team's original technical designer and producer involved from 1983 until 1986. Mark Taylor was the technical producer for the peak period 1986-1990, Wayne Gait-Smith was a technical designer.Tim and Mic Gruchy were the video designers from 1987-1992. As a young fashion student and a close friend of Vidgen, Akira IsogawaAkira Isogawa
is one of Australia's most prominent contemporary fashion designers. Born in Japan, he immigrated to Australia in 1986, studying fashion at East Sydney Technical Collage drawing from inspiration from contemporary Japanese design. He also opened up a store in Woollahra, Sydney, in 1993. By the...
contributed to many of the lavish costumes that now survive in a well catalogued retrospective of the RAT era kept at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum
Powerhouse Museum
The Powerhouse Museum is the major branch of the Museum of Applied Arts and Sciences in Sydney, the other being the historic Sydney Observatory...
.
Growth of the concept
Vidgen threw his first public party for 200 guests in inner-city Surry Hills on 2 October 1983. Subsequent parties each had a special name, usually conceived by Billy Yip, incorporating the word 'rat' in its title. The first official RAT party, titled 'Ratsurrect' and advertised through word-of-mouth, was held at the Bondi PavilionBondi Pavilion
The Bondi Surf Pavilion in Sydney, Australia, constructed in 1928, is a building of historic significance and has been listed by the Heritage Council. According to the National Trust it "has come to represent the Australian culture of beach bathing and outdoors living"...
on 22 April 1984. The early parties, particularly 'Ratizm' at the Paddington Town Hall April 1985 created a buzz, attracting an inner-city party crowd of heterosexual bohemians as well as gay men and drag queens. RAT parties typically had audio-visual presentations, bizarre props, party drugs, innovative lighting, underground cabaret groups, the best DJs in town and unusual live performances.The later large Sydney Showground events would feature amusements and rides, break out/chill out areas and a selection of food and beverage alternatives.
In 1987 Vidgen registered Recreational Arts Team Pty Ltd as a company. The events became larger, and were no longer exclusive eastern suburbs affairs where it was necessary to know the right people to obtain a ticket. The parties became famous for their spectacular entertainment and celebrity guests. Massive New Year's Eve parties were held for four consecutive years filing the Hordern Pavilion
Hordern Pavilion
The Hordern Pavilion is a building located in Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on the grounds of the old Sydney Showground. "The Hordern", as it is affectionally known by Sydneysiders, has been an architecturally and socially significant Sydney landmark since its construction in 1924...
and Royal Hall of Industries at Sydney's Showground where up to 14,000 partygoers could be accommodated. 'A Ratty New Year', was the first held on New Year's Eve 1988 the event was broadcast live on JJJ and featured a 4am live performance by Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
. Jones was due on stage much closer to midnight but refused to perform until Vidgen could provide a paper-trail of evidence that the performance fee had been transferred into her US account. New Year's Eve 1989 headlined Adeva
Adeva
Adeva is a female African American house-music and contemporary R&B artist from Paterson, New Jersey, United States, the youngest of six children...
at the same venue. Although the budgets had grown from $5,000 to $400,000, costs and expectations also skyrocketed. Business was risky, profits were slim, and money made on one party was frequently lost on the next one.
DJs and Copycats
The RAT parties were forerunners of the dance parties and raves of the 1990s. In the early 1980s pub rock in Sydney was still the mainstream, and dance music was an underground phenomenon. Dance party enthusiasts left the pub scene behind, preferring recorded electronic music provided by pioneering DJs like Tim Ritchie, Robert RacicRobert Racic
Robert Racic was an Australian DJ and record producer. Born in Melbourne and highly influential within electronic and house music circles he was largely unknown outside Australia...
, Pee Wee Ferris, Scott Pullen, Andy Glitre and Mark Alsop.
Spearheaded by these DJs, Australian dance music took off in the 1980s. Promoters behind events by FUN, Sweatbox, Bacchanalia and the standard setting Mardi Gras Party and Sleazeball booked inner city warehouses and tired old venues and transformed them into vibrant, packed palaces. By the end of the 1980s parties flourished all around the country, with promoters booking a constant flow of influential overseas DJs such as Paul Oakenfold
Paul Oakenfold
Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...
. While established rock venues suffered from lack of attendance, dance parties were frequently sold out.
By 1989 it seemed that a massive dance party was being held every weekend at an accessible Sydney venue and competition was fierce. The RAT team pulled back to focus their efforts on a single New Year's event each year that would be likely to generate a return. But their profound impact on Sydney's bacchanalian awakening had already been made.
Cultural Impact
The RAT parties altered Sydney's night life, starting a craze for giant dance parties that lasted into the 1990s. They provided a diverse range of entertainment based on visual and aural stimulation, provided a creative outlet for talented people and set the tone and style of Australian dance music culture.External links
- http://picasaweb.google.com/jacvid/RATPartiesSydney198391 RAT party pics
- http://www.viceland.com/int/v16n3/htdocs/when-rat-ruled-world-747.php?source=db
- http://www.facebook.com/pages/License-to-Thrill/126007531937?ref=mf
- http://ratparties.blogspot.com
- http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=96409&id=617457386&l=32aa217587 Jac Vidgen's RAT party albums
- http://picasaweb.google.com/jacvid/BillyYipSArt
- http://www.scottpullen.com Scott Pullen
- http://www.grup.tv Tim and Mic Gruchy
- http://www.maynard.com.au/maynards_malaise/80s-exhibition-powerhouse.html Maynard's Podcast on Powerhouse 80s exhibition opening night.
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j7rUojcwh-A Maynard's Channel V Rewind Hordern Pavillion Dance Party show, featuring interview with Jac Vidgeon from 1989