Happy Birthday Manning Bar! The iconic student watering hole hit double digits on a Friday night. The party entertainment? All the “next-big-thing” bands around at present: Guineafowl, Richard In Your Mind, The Jezabels and Cloud Control.

We wandered into the balloon-encrusted hall of Manning Bar only to be hit with a wave of nostalgia. Not because I went to uni there or anything, just of all the times I’d tagged along with the actual students to wet my whistle.

We were greeted by the even more balloon decked out stage and the punchy sounds of Richard In Your Mind. Not having heard them properly before, I was thoroughly impressed, especially when some percussion instruments I recall playing in Year 1 at school were produced and rocked out with.

Next up on the party bill were The Jezabels and wow, what a band. These guys have some serious, serious talent. Already crowd popular, they are going to skyrocket even more so than they already have. Manning’s humble stage and dancefloor were the perfect size for their sound, which ranged from intimate and emotional, to powerful  and attention-grabbing. To me, a Jezabels virgin of sorts, it felt like I had been having eye problems and the Jezabels were my sweet prescription spectacled new view of the world.

Armed with drinks and anticipation, we weaved through the swelling crowd and located a sweet spot near the front for who I think 90% of the crowd came to see, the delightful Cloud Control. Opening with "Meditation Song #2 (Why, Oh Why)", the first track from their album Bliss Release, the mood was set. And it was goooooooood.

“Hey, do you guys like big ass balloons?” kicked off "This Is What I Said", with a flurry of big-ass ballons being flung into the crowd only to pop and shower everyone (and their drinks) in glitter and happiness. I’m not sure which I liked better to be honest, hearing the song, which is a personal favourite, or trying to pop the balloons.

Another favourite followed was their already classic "Vintage Books", and then the more mellow "The Rolling Stones". "My Fear #2" had the crowd rocking out harder than ever, the band all jigging in unison, the drummer Ulrich a bobbing ball of hair at the back. The, “Hey this was on that climate change ad on channel 10” song, "Buffalo Country" followed, frontman Alister’s guitar twanging and frontwoman Heidi’s ivories tickling.

"There’s Nothing In The Water We Can’t Fight" took things down a notch but still kept everyone happy, particularly me when Beast Of Love followed. Heidi’s hauntingly beautiful vocals touching the hardest of hearts in this lovely ballad.Feeling the need for a sing-a-long, they then whipped out "Gold Canary", one of their biggest and most popular tracks to date. There were Na-Na’s and Way-Oh’s and Ooooh-WOOP’s everywhere! 

A little acapella medley to whip the crowd into a frenzy of “what’s next?” and "Death Cloud" exploded. This is the song that nobody can resist dancing to, and they did not try. Even a rogue balloon that managed to avoid bursting the first time round couldn’t help itself and sprayed glitter on our faces once more. 

Not ready to quite come down from the clouds (pun intended) as yet, an amazing DJ stepped in. Thank goodness for that DJ, I wish I knew your name! Aretha’s "Respect", MJ’s "Rock With You", Eminem’s Without Me and yes, the theme from the hit 90’s tv show Full House graced our dancing bodies with their awesome presence and brought us unwillingly back to the reality of the house lights being switched on.

Many happy returns to you Manning, and although there was a severe lack of cheezels and fairy bread, I can’t wait until the next big birthday!