Summadayze, Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne

For the first time in its illustrious history, the dance music institution Summadayze now faces stiff competition from the global dance phenomenon Sensation, which had punters the night before welcoming in the New Year. Indeed, some Sensation revelers dressed in white are present, looking a little worse for wear, obviously having slept nary a wink in the past 24 hours. Nevertheless, now in its 11th year, Summadayze begins with a customary bang, as Derek delivers jubilant disco-house tracks on the Mischief Stage, whipping punters into a dancing frenzy with the bouncy synths of Reel To Reel’s ‘I Like To Move It’ and eliciting delighted squeals with the synth grooves of Ian Carey Project’s ‘Get Shaky.’

Next up on the Mischief Stage is The Ashton Shuffle, who proceed to impress the crowd with skilful remixes of Pnau’s ‘Baby,’ before the duo transform the slow hip-hop grooves of Pharoahe Monch’s ‘Simon Says’ into sped-up delirious levels, complete with sirens, while churning out the “Oh, oh,” refrains of The Presets’ ‘Talk Like That.’

Electro-pop mastermind Calvin Harris takes to the Main Stage, swiftly launching into his joyous breakthrough hit, ‘Acceptable In The ‘80s.’ Perched on top of the extended stage podium overlooking the crowd, Calvin swaggers over the decks, casually swigging bottled water, while nodding his head to the music. After delivering the rippling electro of Cut Copy’s ‘Hearts On Fire,’ he then launches into a rapid house remix of his Dizzee Rascal collaboration ‘Dance Wiv Me,’ and The Ting Tings’ ‘Great DJ,’ which elicit delighted cheers from punters. The stomping ‘The Girls,’ has the crowd singing along, while the churning synths of The Chemical Brothers’ ‘Hey Boy Hey Girl,’ confirm the track’s perennial crowd favourite status.

D.O.N.S. featuring Terri are next on the Main Stage, continuing the relatively recent phenomenon of a house DJ performing with a gospel-style vocalist. Over house grooves, Terri delivers suitably bellowing vocals before exclaiming, “Happy New Year!” to an excitable crowd. On the Mischief Stage, David Morales holds court, delivering a hard-house version of Britney Spears’ ‘Circus,’ which has punters dancing and singing along. The pumping beats of Loleatta Holloway’s disco classic ‘Love Sensation’ soon ring out, before the lovelorn wails of Robin S vs Steve Angello’s ‘Show Me Love’ have the girls singing along in wild abandonment. Ferry Corsten delivers powerhouse trance soundscapes and whirring synths on the Main Stage, launching into hypnotic sonic grooves before transforming The Killers’ ‘Human’ into a swirling symphony, eerily resembling ‘The Never Ending Story.’ Clearly ebullient with the joyous reception, he waves his arms in the air as if conducting an orchestra, while the strains of electronic violins ring out.

As churning house music emanates from the Main Stage, Underworld emerge, with singer Karl Hyde resplendent in a silver sequined jacket, while their name is emblazoned on the big screens, prompting the crowd to cheer. As soaring synths seem to propel into the night sky, the band swiftly launches into ‘Cowgirl.’ The booming drums and buzzing electro of ‘Spoonman’ has Karl rather ingeniously bellowing “Holler, holler, holler, hallelujah,” to the animated throng. He then picks up a guitar, as his glittery jacket illuminates amid the darkness, looking quite splendid, really. Soon after, the band delivers the swirling synths of the anthem ‘Born Slippy’ which has the crowd cheering wildly. As white balloons bounce over the crowd, Karl belts out, “Shouting, lager, lager,” triumphantly, as pummeling beats reverberate throughout the venue. After the dizzying electronic bleeps of ‘Moaner,’ Karl says, “Melbourne, thank you!” as the venue erupts into deafening cheers and whistles. And with that, they leave the stage, positively ending the festival on a suitably high note, confirming that Summadayze is still the most joyous way to celebrate New Year’s Day in the Southern Hemisphere.