A photo-journalistic recap of Hardmission 2025
The biggest props to Evolution Events for what was an amazing second edition of Hardmission Australia. I got to experience the festival a little differently this year, as I was awarded the opportunity to be a part of the media team as a photographer. I wanted to try something new with my blog, combining my passion for oversharing with my love of photography. Thus, I present to you a photo-journalistic recap of Hardmission 2025.
We set the scene at Werribee Racecourse. An odd choice some may say, considering the 2024 edition was held at Flemington Racecourse, more renowned for putting on large-scale events. With a lift to and from the venue sorted, I had no complaints. It’s February 8th and the weather is a meek and cloudy 23 degrees. It’s okay though, because as soon as you get within 10 metres of the dance floor, you feel the wave of body heat heat you like a truck. Fortunuately, it’s enough to withstand the Melbourne cold.
With artists such as Fraw, Krowdexx, GPF, and Miss K8 playing, the dance floor had arms flying and legs kicking until a relatively early 10pm. The art of muzzing has somewhat faded in the last couple of years, with the mix of old school Dutch hakken and the Aussie hakk coming out on top. As more Aussies make the pilgrimage to the Netherlands for events such as Defqon, Decibel, and Qlimax, they bring back a wave of dance styles that Australian raves aren’t yet fully accustomed to. The “Klapongen” for example, is something I witness almost more than muzzing these days. Dutch for “collapsed lung”, I’d say the klapong is an aggressive style of dance mainly incorporating your arms and legs, usually danced to the healing tunes of Rawstyle. See more examples here.
While the quintessential Australian rave uniform of activewear and TNs is still alive and well in the scene, the dress code at hardstyle events is becoming more of a mixed bag as influence continues to be drawn from abroad. The Dutch gabber culture is prominent with a few festival-goers hakking proudly in their Thunderdome merch. Hard techno is influencing the scene majorly, with leather, chains, and anything black making its way into the rotation. I personally am a big fan of the Ultra Miami 2014 EDM-coded rave girl aesthetic; featuring fishnets, kandi, and sometimes even an exposed butt cheek or two.
On the topic of kandi, PLUR (peace, love, unity, and respect) has become a set of values that fans in the Australian hard dance scene have began to incorporate in the past couple of years. The “movement” has been around since the 90s rave scene, and while kandi had it’s moment in the early days of PHD and Melbourne Shuffle, it’s definitely made it’s resurgence. Thanks Taylor Swift.
Being on the media team and having access to the media pit meant I got to witness the front row ravers in their natural habitat. It was a truly magical experience. The energy was unmatched. I genuinely couldn’t wipe the smile off my face. All this time trying to build my portfolio up and here I was, taking photos of exact moments I have felt myself. Seeing glimpses of myself in the crowd and being able to capture it in still form felt like a full circle moment, reminding me why I fell in love with both hard dance music and photography in the first place. To combine these two facets of my life that form such an integral part of who I am was euphoric. This is just the beginning of my festival photography career. Watch this mf space.
One thing I’ve told myself for a long time now is “be the person you want to see”. I can trace an example back to an event I was at recently at The Gasometer. Not a rave, but definitely a packed venue. This girl was dancing in front of me. She was a little too close for comfort. Her black untamed hair was swinging to its own beat, which included making its way in and around my face. Part of me wanted to pop off with a hostile “do you mind????” In moments like this it’s important to practice tolerance and empathy, two attributes that are so, so important to hold on the dance floor. I ended up tapping her on the shoulder and politely letting her know that her hair was getting in my face. She apologised profusely and explained how she lost her hair tie and how hot and overstimulated she was. I offered her a spare hair tie I had, because if girlhood isn’t defined by brandishing someone else’s hair tie on your wrist, I don’t know how else to explain it. She looked at me as if I had given her my last piece of gum after double dropping. It inspired me to know that I changed the trajectory of both my night and hers (even just by a little bit) simply by being courteous.
Back at Hardmission, a girl who had recognised me from TikTok asked if I had a safety pin because “you look like someone savvy who would have one”. Firstly, what a compliment! Secondly, I didn’t. I suggested asking one of the clothing stalls to see if they had one, but sadly that was another failed endeavour. Just for pointing her in the right direction, she gave me a piece of kandi with “thx” spelled out on the beads. I told her next time I see her I’ll exchange a piece of kandi with the words “ur welcome”. I received another gift from a girl at Hardmission, a 3D printed crocodile keychain, because I had given her a piece of kandi at a previous event. Fuck I love this community.
Gaining a bit of a following on TikTok over the last year, I sometimes struggle with being perceived. It’s hard dealing with imposter syndrome and an inflated ego simultaneously. I often think that maybe everything is fake and the internet isn’t real and the perception I have of myself is completely fabricated, but then I go to these events and I have these kind and warm interactions and someone tells me “you’re actually such a cool person” after talking to me for 15 minutes and it reminds me that being myself online only makes it easier for me to be myself in person and whether I’m online or offline doesn’t matter because those two people are the same and just as fun and authentic as one another. People like me and I attract the people that I like and my experiences at the raves and festivals I attend is testament to that. I’ve found a community here in which I belong.
Feeling a sense of belonging made it so much easier to slide into the role of photographer. Here are some pics I took of a few people that have been along for the journey:
From left to right: Nat; met through TikTok and raved across the Netherlands together, an absolute diva who I love. Jake; shared a few boogies at PHD back in the Room 680 days, reminded me “you’re not shy!” when freaking out about my photography duties. Talia; the OG queen of the Melbourne hardstyle scene, she’s an absolute ripper of a fun time. So much respect for you mama. Vas and Mik: met these divas at Reminisce 2023 when I was balls to the wall on acid. Bragged that I went to Defqon that year and and now we are like magnets at every rave where we always manage to run into each other. Rob: from sharing a bag of lollies on the flight to Knockout 2022 to being the most wholesome rave dad, Rob is a true legend in the community. Zarah: LED whip extraordinaire, I met her at Hardmission 2024 and our friendship is at a point where she is asking for feminist literature. My job here is done.
These people are a reminder of who I have been, who I’ve become, and who I hope I continue to be in the scene. I think that’s a nice way to wrap up this recap. I hope you enjoyed it. It’s something a bit new, but still has that Gabby flair to it. Let me know what you think x