Adelaide Is a Paradise

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Partying in Adelaide is bizarre. The city boasts a population of about one million, which means underground raves are rare, while there's only a handful of good clubs due to the size of the scenes that support them. And then there are the city's stringent lockout laws—which are a wet blanket for any city. But instead of these constrictions being barriers, they seem to force Adelaide's youth to get creative with getting plastered.

Although I can count Adelaide's raves on one hand, they’re inexplicably special. These are eight-hour parties—sometimes held in abandoned schools—that get meticulously thought-out because the organisers have a lot to lose. Rather than their nights being lost to an inundation of raves in cities like Melbourne and Sydney, raves in Adelaide are remembered. Skaters and students buy tickets months in advance and then in the years after, swap memories from the night like trading cards.

Whisper “Muscle” or “Bingara” to anyone in Adelaide and they’ll tell you about how they wore out the tread on their trainers in a warehouse or out in the bush. Or during the day you can find people at Adelaide’s Himeji Gardens: a Japanese-themed block of shrubbery which features a meditative sand pit. It's a popular spot for house and techno gatherings in summer, and where friends collect on the city’s outer limits with Red Tins in their hands and best friends on their laps.

But what’s really special about Adelaide’s party scene isn’t its use of space—it’s the people. If you spend a couple of hours dancing in a kitchen party to Kylie Minogue, you’ll find family. Not the nagging variety, but the party kind. The kind of family that will look after you if you’re having a bad time, or if some creepy guy is having too much of a good time.

Sometimes though, partying in Adelaide is just about partying for the fuck of it. Sometimes it’s not about “the creative use of the space” but about punching durries with chickens. Sometimes it’s about downing a six pack while watching the sun rise. Most of the time it’s about alcohol, and often it’s also about drugs. But consistently in Adelaide, partying is about family.

Jade Barker is someone I would consider family, and we’ve both worn out our shoes together. A vinyl DJ, photographer, and fashion student, Jade has managed to capture what it's like being young and nocturnal in Adelaide.

You can see more of Jade Barker’s photos on Instagram. Her sets are also on Mixcloud. Words by Angela Skujins, who's also on Twitter.