While writing about my clubbing experiences over the years, I realised I’ve partied for not only ten years, but also through halves of two different decades. Besides making me sound old (by clubbing standards anyway), I have seen a few different trends in fashion and music come and go.
I didn’t start clubbing until 2005, so I missed half of that decade, but I could see what the partying trends were. There’s a great documentary called Melbourne Shuffle that documents this era of Melbourne nightclubs brilliantly. But I can confidently comment on what was going on in nightclubs from 2005 onward. Yep, I’m an old fart now.
So which decade was better for clubbing, the 2000s or the 2010s?
Music
2000s
Electronic dance music was huge in the ’00s, and here’s a few hits to prove it: ‘I Like The Way’ by The Bodyrockers, ‘Gasolina’ by Daddy Yankee; ‘Flaunt It’ by TV Rock; ‘UFO’ by Sneaky Sound System, and ‘Get Shaky’ by The Ian Carey Project. Let’s not forget the emo craze too, with bands like Panic! At The Disco and My Chemical Romance that made many people cringe at how whiny it was and how serious depressed teens were.
2010s
While dance music hasn’t changed much, indie rock is now popular too, bringing back a resurgence in live music, which is fantastic! Remember ‘Ho Hey’ by The Lumineers? There’s no way that could have been popular before 2010. Other bands include Vampire Weekend, The Black Keys and Imagine Dragons.
Winner: The 2010s
This decade’s music is more insightful and fun. There was just something cringe worthy about 2000s music; it took itself very seriously. The thing is, songs I disliked back then, I like now. That’s my nostalgia trip kicking in…
Fashion
2000s
For men, clubbing fashion was quite simple. You would put either gel or wax into your wave to spike it up polo shirts. Those were mainly worn by very woggy guys, even pink ones. I can only recall one time when someone asked if a friend who wore a pink shirt was gay; see, no one gave a shit, they looked great. But if you went to goth clubs, wearing black and having an emo fringe was the way to go (I admit, I actually liked this look).
2010s
Like how I mentioned indie rock before, fashion become more “artsy” once the hispter scene exploded. It’s a more casual, and guys don’t really bother to spike their hair anymore. Checkered, collared shirts are in with jeans, perhaps with cuts in them.
Winner: The 2010s
In the 2000s, everyone tried to look like they were in a hip hop music video, and it got boring quickly. The 2010s look is simpler and perhaps more “genuine” (to a point).
Alcohol
2000s
This may be more related to my age than trends, but to what I remember, everyone just drank mainstream beers, like VB or Carlton Draught. This article made me realised how uneducated I was about alcohol back then. All I cared about was getting drunk, and fast. But there was a simplicity to this; there was no pretense in what you drank.
2010s
While I’m not alcohol expert by any stretch, I do enjoy that craft beers are getting way more notice than they would have ten years ago. Again, this is probably more of an age thing. But what beer you drink has become something of a status symbol these days. These days, I look at the bar fridges to see what beers they have, before ordering a standard pint of Carlton.
Winner: The 2000s
While I certainly do enjoy craft beer, no one gave a shit about what you drank in the 2000s, so you didn’t have to overthink things when wanting a drink.
So which one is better? The 2010s! This decade is clearly the winner, and I most certainly enjoy what’s going on in today’s nightlife. Having said that, clubbing has always been aimed at a young crowd, and I was nightclubs’ target audience in the late 2000s, so I’m naturally going to always treasure those wild years.
1 Comment
dan
you have no idea what you are talking about. ive been in the melbourne club scene for the last 20 years and i saw it peak in the 90s and slowly decline every decade since. clubbing used to be an event but now with the ‘hipsters’ casual dress standards and attitude night clubs today couldn’t hold a candle to the club scene of the 90s
12 Sep 2020 10:09 pm (@Twitter)
Leave a Comment