Commuters on a Sunday evening train were surprised when the Brisbane suburban service was transformed into an ad hoc rave by a local DJ.
Kyel 925, from NO. ONE NETWORK and Liquid Steele Sessions, said the group had been heading from a gig with a media trolley on the Shorncliffe line from Fortitude Valley at about 6.30pm when they had the idea.
They picked an empty carriage, to avoid annoying people who didn’t want to be involved, set up a portable speaker and laptop and started playing some tunes.
“There were kids dancing, there was a mum loving it. She came in about five times dancing. Yeah, we made sure everyone was cool with with it and didn’t pressure anyone,” he said.
Kyel estimated that they rode the train about seven stops one way and then back in the opposite direction. “Got away with it twice!”
He said they were inspired by a Sydney artist, Mr C, and his experiences in Europe, where commuter busking is common.
Kyel said they had another gig coming up next month, and might consider a replay of what’s been dubbed a “train rave”.
“I guess the beauty of a train is … it’s moving around the city, which is a kind of cool concept behind that right, like a moving stage. You know what I mean?
“Like, that’d be that’d be amazing to think if they were willing to support that, to get involved more.”
A spokesperson for Queensland Rail encouraged commuters to “have fun, but respect others”.
“While we love to see our customers enjoying our services, we do ask that ‘ravers’ keep the aisles free and consider other customers who may not share their enthusiasm for loud music,” they said.