Rat Parties

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 and these events contributed greatly to Sydney's maturity in the last two decades of the 20th century into a world-class sophisticated city.

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 Isogawa contributed to some of the costumes that now survive in a well catalogued retrospective of the RAT era kept at Sydney's Powerhouse Museum.

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 Pavilion 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.

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 Racic, Pee Wee Ferris, Scott Pullen and Andy Glitre.

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.

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.

ee also

*Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras

Links

http://picasaweb.google.com/jacvid/RATPartiesSydney198391 RAT party pics

http://ratparties.blogspot.com

http://picasaweb.google.com/jacvid/BillyYipSArt

http://www.scottpullen.com Scott Pullen

http://www.grup.tv Tim and Mic Gruchy