SYDMOB #25
Part One:

Mob Length: 5 minutes (near site 1:28 converge & act @ 1:30pm, disperse @ 1:35pm)
Mob site: Playfair St Rocks Square
"The Emperors New Clothes" Concept courtesy of our Russian flashmob friends.

Toss a coin, if it is heads, make your way to Argyle & Playfair Sts (Lowenbrau Keller) and wait casually for your mob rep to appear. If it is tails, make your way to George St & Mill Lane (near Rocks Mkt), and loiter casually awaiting the arrival of your mob rep. The mob reps will be recognised by Rastafarian caps.

You need to be in your position by 1:28

At 1: 30 (give or take 30 seconds), the reps will talk on the phone to be sure we are all synchronised, if this is so, they will remove, and then conceal their hats. This is your cue to follow them in a very, very loose manner. If you are mobbing with a group, it is encouraged to form small, believable clusters of family or friends, out enjoying your Saturday. You may pause briefly, to look at shop windows, or chat lightly, etc. If you are alone, you are a happy tourist. Either way, keep an eye on the rep, so that you do not loose sight of them.

The reps will meet up at approximately 1.31 in the square. They will suddenly notice something in the sky. Very large, invisible alien ships are overhead! LOTS of them! The reps will cry “OH MY GOD” and possibly jabber incoherently, pointing skyward. (This is your cue to look up and notice these ships too, join in the excitement! Your best acting capabilities are called for!) The reps will bellow at their companion, “The CAMERA! GRAB THE CAMERA!”

Ah! Of course!! Why didn’t you think of that? You need to be able to take pics too! Go for it! Make excited noises. If you are without a camera, you may choose to quail in a religious fervour, or grab passers by and share this momentous event. You might just stare at the sky in mute shock, whatever works for you. If anyone asks you what you are taking photos of, or staring at, look at them as if they are quite mad, and say “The spaceships, of course! The spaceships!” “LOOK! Just LOOK!!” (any similar comment will do.) Brush the infidel, un-believing, blind person from your presence, and continue to snap pics of this world changing event.

The pandemonium will go for about 90 seconds, after which, a very subtle disperse will begin. The reps will put their hats on, and move away slowly. As you notice this, you lose interest in the skyshow, and meander off, or perhaps a particular craft takes your eye, and you follow it away from the melee. Disperse should be completed within a 30 second time frame.

SYDMOB #25
Part Two:

Mob Length: <5 minutes (near site 1:45 converge & act @ 1:48pm, disperse @ 2:27pm)
Mob site: End Rocks Market
"Halloween Haunt"

Today you have a choice my friends. You must decide if your inner soul is that of a Ghost, a Vampyre, a Zombie, or Werewolf.

Having decided on your inner beast, if you fell into the “Ghost Vampyre category, you will make your way to Argyle and Playfair sts You need to be in position by 1:45. If you are of a more hirsute nature or zomboid nature, you will make your way to George st, outside Cadmans Cottage You, also, need to be in position by 1:45

Lurk about, preparing your evil self for a big day out. The mob reps will appear, wearing the by now familiar Rastafarian caps. At approximately 1:46 They will remove their hat,. They will then rise, becoming whatever beast they have chosen, and begin to head down the street,. This is your cue to unleash the inner demon and follow them, feel free to interact with the public. Though do try not to scare small children!

Give it your best! If you are a Zombie, you are on a hunt for BBBbbrrrains. Out stretch your arms. Sigh, Groan, moan, and make the in-coherent sounds of one newly emerged from the grave. Mmmm Brrraaaains.

If you are a werewolf, obviously, you are going to howl your lungs out, and do whatever doggies do when they are really bad doggies. (Try not to hump anyone’s leg though!) Beating chest, snarling and bounding about would not be out of place.

Order of the Vampyre? Surely you need no instruction? “I Vant to suck your blooood” would be a good thing to call out from time to time. Much baring of teeth and exaggerated arm gestures, (Think bad vaudeville, imaginary cape etc)

Ghosts? Lots of Whhooo Whhhooo sounds. Wailing, a tormented soul lurks within.

As you follow the rep, it will not be long before you hear the approach of the other half of Sydmob. Become louder yourself, as if in competition. As soon as you lay eyes on the rest of the mob, you recoil in horror! There they are! Your sworn, immortal enemies! Reel back as you prepare yourself for a grand showdown. Hiss, growl, groan whatever, so long as it gives the impression of fright, but battle readiness.

Let the clash begin! An all out creepy set-to is called for. Torment your fellow mobbers with loud noises and gestures, play about with it, a bit of stalking, chasing, if you are with comfortable friends, it is not inconceivable that you may bite their neck. Go easy on rough play, some of our mobbers are grannies, but feel free to rough house if you are among the horribly fit youth.

After a couple of minutes, you will hear a gong begin to strike, At the first two tolling of the gong…Vampyres, “The tribe has spoken.” Disperse. Toll Three and Four, Werewolves, “Your fired,” Disperse. Toll Five and Six….Ghosts, “It’s time to go.” Disperse. Seven and Eight, Zombies, You are the weakest link…Goodbye.

Hey there mobbers!

My WORD! How on earth will we top that one?! What an absolute crack up! Great turn-out too! Good on ya Sydmob! We got close to the 200 we needed to pull it of, so thanks to all of you who made the effort. We say it every mob, and it’s always true…We luvs ya! We luvs yas all!

Thanks go out to our Russian flashmob friends for the “Emperor’s New Clothes”

There is something so much more convincing about staring skyward, when you are also taking pictures of the invisible event. We had half of the rocks in a quandary. Gotta love that!
One mobber was seen, leaping skyward saying “TAKE ME!! TAKE ME!!” Prune seems to have gone into a very odd alien pleasing rain dance, and Mal got so carried away with his role as alien spotter, that he ended up with a great deal of footage of a gorgeously cloud dappled sunny Sydney sky.
The footage that Octavia and company took shows a small child (and quite a few others) left standing, staring skyward for a fair while after we had all made a very effective disperse. As Tempest left the scene, weak, pale and shaken by such a disturbing event, she was assisted by Naomi, who asked loudly, “But what does it all mean?”. This very much added to the confusion of some of those non-mobbers, who were left contemplating vacant skies. A very loud American as heard to say "You deserve an academy award! I was looking for 15 minutes!"
Another comment that killed me was related by Pauline, who is a conservatively dressed dependable looking type. When a young girl asked her what she was taking pictures of, and she said "The spaceships, can't you see them?" the young woman's face was, apparently, un-forgettable!


Act two, “Halloween Haunt” needs a little bit of shout out thanks to Russel, for reminding us that it was Halloween. Funnily enough, for an event that was such a blast, act two took the organisers an age to get right. We laboured over what the hell we were going to do for ever to get right! Some of you are beginning to get an inkling that this is rarely the case! We tend to fly by the seat of the pants rather a lot!

Anyway, plot decided, Mal took off to lead his crew of blood-suckers and wailers, whilst Tempest led the charge for Braaaiiins! What a sound we all made as we howled and BRRRAIIINED our way up George Street! The looks from startled shop keepers and tourists were classic!
I think we had some of the best werewolves I have ever seen. One guy bounded all the way up the street, lurking snarling and barking at everyone he passed, pure gold dude!! I also saw one young man leap up a street sign, and nearly provide the brains the zombies were seeking, as he smashed his head into the top of the sign (OUCH! Hope you are okay!) The Harley guys were killing themselves laughing at us as we approached. Then when the two groups met up! What a hoot! Mal took some video footage of it all, (Managed to avoid sky shots this time around) He will add this to the web soon.


Great fun hooking up afterwards, it was one of the more pleasurable afternoons we have had, since the last mob! What a fabulous bunch of people you all are! I didn't want to go home! We will definitely continue with the post mob hook up, as it really does keep the giggle going! Oh, and a special "Hi" to my new extended family, as I had to declare myself guardian of half a dozen 17 year-olds. Just don't come looking for pocket money, okay?


Next mob is in three weeks, as Mal has a birthday in two weeks, and thinks he deserves some time off for it, so, next mob date is Sunday the 21st, unless someone can point out a cataclysmic event we have not taken into consideration.


Cheers guys!

Mal & Tempest