We Went to Wee Waa

We went to Wee Waa for the global launch of the new Daft Punk record (even though the internet had already released it). If you’ve never been to Wee Waa, it’s 7 hours from Sydney and 12 hours from Melbourne. Which roughly triangulates to the middle of nowhere. There were a mix of dressed up die-hard fans, Sydney dance music kids, Wee Waa locals and other country folk who had stumbled in for a good time. The local paper read 'Dog Jumping and Daft Punk', so you can imagine how excited people were for this event. The Wee Waa show-girl pageant unsurprisingly also drew a strong crowd.

The set-up was in the shape of an octagon with a big circular light-up glass dance floor in the middle. Kind of like what people in Los Angeles might have on top of their pools. A soccer riot-like mosh formed in the middle and letting off a flare wouldn't have been totally out of place. It was on for young and old, so much so that you could have described it as a hoedown or possibly even a hootenanny. People danced and generally lost their shit for the entire album, so it lost any of the jarring pretentiousness that a listening party can otherwise imply. The lulls in the album made sense and only made the crowd dance harder as it built up again. It was no surprise that Sydney kids were doing drugs up their noses and inadvertently spilling them all over the dance floor. The highlight of the night possibly came from a woman in boot-scooting attire, doing her best line dancing routine along to the music.

It's unclear why people were still speculating that Daft Punk were going to be there, possibly hiding in the disco ball only to be unveiled at the very end. People want something to believe in. As the policeman who pulled us over on the drive told us, 'You know Daft Punk aren't gonna be there'.

The disco ball made it a semi-spiritual experience, as if we were worshipping at the temple of disco. Huge lights from each corner beamed up into the sky pointing out that there is something more out there after all.

This guy was actually launching fireworks out of his helmet. He seemed fine with it.

So alluring.

The onesie has taken over the world, regardless of the occasion an animal suit is apparently always appropriate. It would be too obvious to say that his nose and fluffy white rabbit cheeks look like a stubby cock and balls, but they really do.

Everyone was making out when the slow lovey-dovey track came on. Everyone knows that slow burning love is better than a one-night fling. This dude’s comforting hand is showing his lady that he's not going anywhere.

The Wee Waa show president was loving it. It was the biggest turn out in its 79 year history, so he'd earned a few XXXX lagers.

Saint Laurent may be overpriced, but surely making your own isn't the answer?

He was taking a break from his “Around The World” robot dance to grab a lager. Fun fact: he'd painted his face black underneath. We're not sure why either.

And then it was over. We hung around for a bit watching drunk people flying around on carnival rides before going to bed. The next day, before hitting the road for the long drive home, we stopped to chat to some locals about their thoughts on the big event.

Jess & Jason

What'd you think of the show last night?
Jason: It was pretty big for Wee Waa! There were so many more rides this year.

What was the best part?
Jess: Me winning! I lead cattle.

How do you judge that?
Well there's junior judging, parade and breed classes. They get judged on their attributes like their colours, their size… and this is a bit dodgy, but their testicular development and stuff like that. Parading is how the person shows off their cow.

What's the best way to show off your cow?
So you don't want to go into the ring with mud on your cow. You want it nicely brushed and washed. You blow dry them as well.

Do you own your own cow?
No, not yet! The cow that I want is probably about $60K. They're worth that because they're pure-breds.

What else is on?
There's demolition derby on later on tonight. They're pretty cool. Normally there's a rodeo but because Daft Punk were here it had to be postponed.

Would you enter the rodeo?
Yeah I'd go steer riding. You might break a few bones though.

Emma (Winner of the Wee Waa Showgirl competition)

How does it feel?
Oh it's so exciting! It still hasn't sunk in yet properly. I love it.

How was it?
It was pretty nerve-wracking! It was just before the Daft Punk show so the arena was full.

How do you become a showgirl?
You just have to have grown up around here really. You need to know a bit about the area.

How did they judge the competition?
We were asked questions about ourselves, general knowledge about the area and stuff like that. It was very easy, almost relaxing. It was fun.

Where do you buy your clothes from?
There's Robbies clothing in Wee Waa and some really good shops in Narrabri (35 km away) as well.

Do you ever go interstate?
Occasionally if we go on holiday we might go to the Gold Coast.

What'd you think of the Daft Punk show?
I thought it was great! I remember being on the dance floor and just thinking that I can't believe this is happening in Wee Waa. It's just crazy. I saw so many people from town having the time of their lives. Everyone was so happy that they chose Wee Waa.

Sarah

What's your horse's name?
Her stable name is Poppy.

How do you get her ready?
You have to make sure you get all the stuff out of her coat, you plait her mane, you make up her face and put black stuff on her hooves.

How old are you?
I'm ten.

Have you been riding for long?
Yeah. Since I was four.

Have you hurt yourself riding at all?
I had a pretty bad fall once. My horse was named Kit Kat and was a bit small. It bucked, which means that its hind legs were up and I ate dirt. My lip cracked too. But I've never broken a bone or dislocated anything.

Angus

Did you come for the show last night?
No I live here.

Are there many people in Wee Waa with long hair?
Not really. My brother has longer hair than I do.

Do you play music?
Yeah I play the bass. I'm into black metal. I'm trying to put a band together.

Gravitron controller

Do people throw up a lot in there?
They do outside yeah. They've been spun a couple of hundred times, but it only hits you once you've stopped. A guy just threw up over there [points two metres away from where we're standing].

Do you get sick controlling the ride?
It can mess with your head, even though you're not moving. Its especially bad if you're hungover.

Do you do this full-time?
Yeah I do. The whole ride's on a semi-trailer and we go all around the country.

Dodgem Car Man

Is he happy hanging out with you here?
Well I went back to my caravan for lunch and he was crying, so I decided to take him back with me. They're men's dogs, so they don't like to be around women. They only like men.

What's his name?
His name's black boy. I didn't think he'd pull through because he's so small. His mother's name was BB, so I called him black boy, so he'd have the same initials.

For more Daft Punk:

Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' Collaborators: Pharrell Williams

Daft Punk's 'Random Access Memories' Collaborators: Panda Bear