For the first time, New Year’s Eve at the Bowl didn’t just meet expectations – it set a new standard closing out 2025 with a sublime celebration of sound and music. Words by Tom Golsworthy.
New Year’s Eve at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl marked the very first edition of NYE at the Bowl, and from the opening moments it felt like the beginning of something special. Across three stages, the day unfolded as a carefully paced journey through sound, atmosphere, and collective release – a debut that arrived fully formed and confident in its vision.
The afternoon opened with Shantan Wantan Ichiban, whose genre-blurring selections eased the crowd into motion. Their playful rhythms and globe-spanning influences felt perfectly suited to the early daylight hours, setting a relaxed but curious tone. Big Wett followed with deeper, weightier grooves, nudging the energy upward and hinting at the long night ahead.
As the Bowl began to fill, INJI took command with sharp, magnetic pop energy. Tracks like ‘Madeline’ and ‘Gaslight’ cut cleanly through the warm air, her performance balancing charisma and control. The crowd responded instantly, drawn in by her confidence and polished delivery.
Over in the Garden, Harvey Sutherland brought his signature blend of funk and electronic soul, basslines rolling smoothly through tracks like ‘Swing’ and ‘Bermuda’. The mood shifted again as Emma Jean Thackray layered jazz textures and expressive vocals into the afternoon, creating moments that felt intimate despite the scale of the event. Joy Crookes followed with emotional weight and warmth, her voice carrying effortlessly through the open air on songs such as ‘Feet Don’t Fail Me Now’.
As the sun dipped, Good Neighbours took over the Bowl, their feel-good indie sound landing perfectly in the glow of golden hour. Songs like ‘Home’ and ‘Keep It Up’ felt built for that exact moment, radiating optimism and connection. The tempo lifted again with Sam Gellaitry, whose slick fusion of funk, pop and electronic music turned the Bowl into a pulsing, colour-soaked dancefloor. His set, driven by buoyant basslines and crisp percussion, felt both playful and polished.
Elsewhere, Milo Eastwood held down the Garden stage with a steady, hypnotic groove. His set leaned into repetition and flow rather than spectacle, creating a space where the crowd could sink into the rhythm. At the Sundial stage, Kamma & Masalo delivered relentless energy, stitching together house and drum & bass with seamless transitions that kept bodies moving without pause.
As night fully fell, Confidence Man exploded onto the main stage in a blur of choreography, charisma, and controlled chaos. Tracks like ‘Holiday’ and ‘Does It Make You Feel Good?’ landed with theatrical precision, their bold visuals and playful attitude pushing the crowd into full party mode.
Then came the moment everyone had been waiting for. As the clock edged toward midnight, Carl Cox took command of the decks, guiding the crowd through a slow-building, euphoric ascent. His set unfolded with masterful restraint, groove by groove, until the final moments of the year arrived.
As fireworks burst above the Bowl, Cox ushered in the New Year with a surge of sound and light, the sky igniting in time with the music – a fitting, electrifying climax to the festival’s inaugural edition.
Closing the night, Underworld carried the energy forward with a transcendent set that leaned into atmosphere and release. When the opening notes of ‘Born Slippy (Nuxx)’ rang out, the crowd moved as one, exhausted, elated, and completely present.
For its first year, New Year’s Eve at the Bowl didn’t just meet expectations – it set a new standard. A celebration of sound, space, and shared experience, it felt less like a one-off event and more like the beginning of a new tradition.
