Interview: Inside Melbourne's Most Infamous Kick-On
Solomun played on an ironing board in Carlton for 11 hours straight over the weekend.
Not only did he play at one of the best events Melbourne has seen, but Solomun also played a club show, and then, he played at one of the most legendary kick-ons known to man… let me explain.
After the warehouse party Solomun then went on to play at Xe54, all furniture was removed, the front disco room doors were opened, the walls were dripping with sweat, and Soli proceeded to destroy the club in classic Soli fashion.
Once he wrapped up at Xe, one would usually think arguably the biggest DJ in the world would call it quits, business to attend to and what not. But no, what happened next no one saw coming. Just as things looked like they were wrapping up, Solomun told the Untilted Group he wasn’t quite finished. That’s right, after already playing for approx six hours, he wanted to carry on — so, instead of going back to the hotel and preparing for a 6am flight to Sydney, he canceled his flight, and went on to play at a kick-on in Carlton.
Upon his arrival… An ironing board was erected, decks were set up, speakers plugged in and then, pandemonium. After it was all said and Instagram exploded with videos and pictures from the days events... so to get the scoop I caught up with the home owner of the best kick on ever.
For the sake of the interview, let’s call him Jack.
Hey Jack thanks for chatting with us today, did you go to the actual main warehouse event and Xe after-party, if so, what did you think?
I went to the warehouse party and had a great time, I'm glad it all came together as I know how hard the Untitled Group were working on it. I didn't make my way to Xe, which in retrospect is a good thing because it meant I could help prepare the house.
So run us through how Solomun ended up at your place? Do you you have any housemates and how did they take news that he was on his way to play on your ironing board? How did you manage the neighbours?
Some of my friends (who also own the company I intern at - Untitled Group, please promote me!) are responsible for touring Solomun. It all happened very quickly, I was in a maxi cab with a bunch of friends and I was told that Solomun wanted to keep playing. I just put my hand up and then suddenly him and his friend were hanging out in my bedroom whilst the equipment got set up - it was all very surreal.
I have two housemates and I think they are fine with it, though having functional couches, shower and toilet again would definitely be nice. My neighbours haven't said anything yet.
How many people ended up being at your house and how many people did you have to turn away? How did you manage the neighbours?
It’s hard to tell because at the beginning I probably only knew 10 faces faces there so everyone looked new, I’m guessing over the duration of the event maybe 150 or so came through. It wasn't really possible to turn anyone away, especially after someone posted a status on Facebook. People were coming through the back lane and the front door, 99% of people there were well behaved and just there to celebrate the occasion, which is great.
How long did he play for and did you have to kick him off the decks?
He played for somewhere in between 10/11 hours I think, he got set up around 8am and I think I told him it had to end when it was around 7pm? (Maybe someone can clarify that). He told me “no” 3 or 4 times before I told his friend who he came with that it was time for the last song. A few bad things happened one after the other and it felt like the right time to pull the plug before it really got out of hand.
Best moment of the party?
Best moment was probably when the rooms started to pack out and he really started to have fun, he told me we had a good vibe and he was just gonna keep going - I told him the house was his and I would try get him whatever he wanted. I think he had a much better idea of what was going to happen after that than I did though haha. The two best moments were just hanging out in my bedroom, and probably when someone gave him flowers.
Hairiest moment of the party?
Seeing my parents out the front of the house was probably the hairiest moment, they definitely won't understand but I am seeing them for dinner tonight so I can let you know.
What state was the house like afterwards and how long did it take to clean up?
After cleaners, steamers and plumbers the house is almost okay, my roof has stopped dripping. Shout out to Evan and Untitled for helping with cleaners, and Kolsch Plumbing for having a look at my pipes. Tomorrow will be day 3 of plumbing at the house and a specialist is coming in, hopefully it's Solomun's underpants stuck in there so I can sell them on eBay.
Would you do it again?
I guess the whole fun in it was making an impulse decision, I would do it again but with a GoFundMe page.
You're a legend "Jack"
