Photos From 'Hotter Out West', Sydney's Sweatiest New Party

The general rule of thumb for nightlife in Sydney has always been “if you know where to look, you can find it”. While the inner city touts the promise of ticketed club nights and a variety of restaurants and bars, suburbs in Western Sydney have generally been overlooked. But if you’re in the know, you’ll know where to look.

I’m specifically talking about Hotter Out West, the newest addition to late night music and clubbing quickly igniting its outer suburbs. 

Created by a group of multi-hyphenate creatives – Amol Sharma, Sollyy, Josh Miguel Florentino, Tonyteni Taulaga, Isaiah Viray, Dillon Fernando, Declan Ou Yong, Jason Nojavan and Nawealth Keopaseuth– the night promises a sweat-heavy fest of eclectic music, up-and-coming West Sydney talent and community. Though they’ve only thrown three parties so far, each has been a sold out success.

“We wanted to give people an opportunity to show their talents, especially from Western Sydney, seeing as we're all from Western Sydney and we know so many talented people that don't really get that platform,” Sharma told VICE. 

Plagued by the notion that every time they wanted to party they’d have to trek 1-hour from the West into the inner city, the team decided to take things into their own hands. On one fateful night, with ideas that came together quickly, they planned their first party in a week and a half. That was last September.

“We knew we had the talent here, we thought we may as well start something. We had a lot of West Sydney creatives, a lot of like-minded people came together and then Hotter Out West was born. You know, it takes a village,” Josh Miguel Florentino said.

All creatives in their own right, from musicians to models to artists, West Sydney’s creative community turned up from the start, supporting a party that was long-missing from the area. It was all about supply and demand. 

“Finally there was a party in the area, because there was nothing. You can literally count the pubs and bars. There have never been parties for people our age, like early 20s. Kids are just out there trying to look for something to do that isn't dangerous, cause the parties out here get red hot. And people just need a place where they’re not scared to go. It was a long time coming,” producer Sollyy tells VICE. 

With each party, the hype around Hotter Out West has grown. What was once filled with familiar faces, now had dozens of unfamiliar ones, jetting in from neighboring suburbs to experience the changing face of West Sydney culture at Common House in Glendenning. The music itself has been described as a mix of “2000’s Australiana, UK’s electronic and American Hip Hop subcultures”. Sollyy, however, says it’s more eclectic than that.

“It's up to the DJs what they want to play. Some of our DJs really like the UK stuff, some like Trap, Some like hip-hop or the old Aussie songs. Whatever they resonate with.”

As they plan for their next party, as well as a plethora of creative endeavors connected to the brand  that they can’t/ won’t disclose, the intentions behind their parties will stay true to its origins: a platform to highlight the young talent coming out of the Western suburbs, to uplift the community and to stand as an appreciation of art. 

“It’s a community, we’re bringing people together. That’s the way I see it,” says Josh.

In a city scraping by on its youth-oriented nightlife, maybe the Western suburbs is where it’s at.

Follow Julie Fenwick on Twitter and Instagram.

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