Rave Review Uproar 3rd birthday bash 10/6/6
12 July 2006, 08:08 PM
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Rave Review Uproar 3rd birthday bash 10/6/6
It seems a long time ago that uproar put their first rave on at the sanctuary, but the fact remains that they were going even before that putting on high quality events at the Brunel Rooms in Swindon. However, it is safe to say that what really put them on a map was their inaugural event, known simply as The Big One at the sanctuary complex way back in 2003.
After that there was no stopping uproar, it was huge events and nothing but, moving on from the sanctuary after holding the last 100 per cent hardcore event to grace the building before it was torn down. Following a brief flirtation with the emporium in Colville and a one-off spectacular (also the largest indoor hardcore event ever) at the Nottingham Ice Arena, uproar soon found its home at the other sanctuary, this time the one in Birmingham making it a firm favourite with the ravers as well it's spiritual home right up to the present day.
Of course, the passage of time takes its toll but in this instance, it is only served to mature the event like one would do with wine or cheese. actively noting the constructive criticism that the ravers have given them and taking on board where relevant and honing the most important aspect in the event, the line-up.
This is where uproar really does excel, having found its feet with a three-pronged line-up featuring upfront hardcore, techno and gabba in the second arena and hardcore breaks an old skool in a third room, it has set about fine-tuning the line-up creating a sublime mix of guaranteed crowd-pullers as well as artists who are much so well-known but just as talented.
This, brings us to the present day, most notably at the time the flyer for the birthday bash landed in my hands. On the face of it, it was the latest in the uproar hard core odyssey, touching down yet again at the sanctuary in Birmingham, for a celebration in its own inimitable style. Once again it was hardcore all the way in main room, with gabba and Old Skool in their respective rooms, but once again, it was the line-up that stole the show.
Top of the list, was a live PA, from none other than quosh records as well as a special appearance from seduction, playing a three years of uproar set featuring personal favourites, not forgetting the likes of styles and breeze, Scott Brown, Unknown, Marc Smith, hixxy, C L S M and Clodhopper. As well as that, who could forget the MC lineup to compliment this, with Storm, Whizzkid, Rude, Wotsee and best of all, Ribbz in a rare main room booking.
It was at the Sanctuary as well and that ment kick *** sound, a nice underground feel to the place and one of the best main areans (IMO at least) to go for it from the time we got there till kicking out time of 6am.
It saw me hurtling up the M5 for a change and getting into birmingham a little differently from normal, but on time and on track for the first DJ I wanted to see. I had been reliably informed that one of my favourite DJs was on at 11 and I was in plenty of time, nay even a little early so I could see his entire set.
As we waved off to park the car and walked back to the venue, a sizeable queue presented itself and after negotiating that, getting a reasonable pat down from security and saying hello to Rude and Sedders, not to mention picking up our obligatory free set time cards, we were in.
When you go to The Sanctuary, there is only one thing you have to prepare for and that is a lot of stair climbing, the main arena is up the stairs, the balcony overseeing said main arena is up more stairs and the chillout bar in the Gods are ever further up, but strong leg muscles are a pre-requsite of being a raver and I elected to go for the balcony to get to the main room.
When we got there there was a bit of dissapointment in store, namely seeing CLSM on the decks already and even worse, finishing off his set! To add to that, the long awaited Gabba set from Gammer was put on first and had long gone. Two of my favourite DJs finishing before my night had even started was a bit of a downer, so there was only one way to compensate, get on the dancefloor and go for it to the next set.
Handily enough, that was more than taken care of by Breeze, taking the 11pm set, together with MCSquared on the mic. More than enough to get my night going, thank you very much, so I got to my favourite spot on the Sanc main room (not too near those ear destroying stacks, bit to the right) and let the DJ and MCs get to work.
It would be an insult to the promoters to suggest they would copy a trademark of another party, but the end result was the same. With the party getting underway, the MCs, DJ and ravers rose to the occasion admirably, all of them determined to make the most of the night and it showed, mostly due to the the sea of movement that I was a part of throughout.
The music selection had a lot to do with this, as well as the polished and practiced level of interaction between the DJ and MCs. Lyrics and tunes were shot back and forth, with "Take you high" by MC Marley being complimented by Whizzkid going for "Pump Pump" and "Defintion of a bad boy" being propped up (if thats the right word for it) by Storm and "Just accept it".
From then on, there was no stopping the men from RBC. The tunes came thick and fast with the Styles remix of "Free your mind", "Come & fly with me" and "Heaven in my arms", following in rapid succession as Storm and Whizzked moved up to full MCSquared power, dropping "Hardcore Fantasy" & "We dont care". It was such an assault on the senses that thats pretty much the sum of my memory of the set, the rest was lost in a blur of Hardcore raving and loving it. One thing for sure, it got my night going with a bang.
But there was no let up once Breeze had finished with the rave, cos DJ Unknown was up next, taking the midnight slot with MC Rude on the mic. I was looking forward to this one as Unknown usually plays second fiddle or is stuck on at a time contrary to his talent and contribution to the music. Not this time though, so it was down to him to impress.
And Impress he did, with a playlist pretty much identical to my favourite tunes of the moment with the "Rushy, euphoric and upfront" catagories all getting namechecked in the opening minutes of his set and continuing to do so till the end.
But Rude's contribution cannot be overlooked either, especially when he spent the first portion of his performance giving out birthday presents before taking cover as the indoor pyrotechnics went off with a bang. Thereafter, he was in full effect on the mic, as well as dropping some of his more popular chats such as "kick it" and "Jump to the beat".
Unknown, on the other hands, seemed to be hell bent on making the ravers rush as hard as possible. His tune selection reflected this and as such, a replay of "Free your mind" mingled with other gems such as "Dropzone", "Cry", "Save me" and "On & On".
Next up was another performance which was all about Quosh, but it involved not the DJ moving, but the MC. Rude made way for Lou Lou on the mic as the Quosh Live PA came in and shook the place up.
It may have been only 15 minutes long and lacked live instrumentation, but what it lacked in longevity and equipment, it made up for it in all the right departments, namely choice tunes, top notch live vocals and making the ravers move. All the bases were therefore well covered and I was well up for what was to come. In the event, "You are my fantasy", "Caught up in your love" and best of all "Makin me wanna dance" were dropped one after the other. At least two of there are my firm favourites and the added dimension of Lou Lou on stage made a good tune even better.
If that werent enough then there was another special treat in store. Seduction was up next and as well as that, had promised a "3 years of uproar set", featuring personal favourites as well. While Whizzkid joined him on stage, I went and got some water. I was NOT going to miss this one, for no other reason than I have got a lot of time for his tune selection under normal circumstances, let alone when the situation demanded something special.
When I got back, my patience had been rewarded. Sedders was seriously into his work and was coming up with the goods in no uncertain terms. Like I said, I like the way this man orders his music, so when he and Whizzkid came together and got on it like a well oiled machine, great things abounded.
Starting off with a nice remix of "Addictions" and moving onward from there, the tunes were never ending in their ability to make the ravers dance and more to the point make me go all tingly at regualr intervals. "let the beat commence", "I Adore", "Put your hands up" was the sum total of the tunes I remember as the latter half of his set delved into the real of the unknown. One thing was for sure though, it was inspired stuff and if I was a sweaty astraboy before it, I was dripping after it was finished.
Doubly so due to the micwork, cos not only was Whizzkid on peak form for the first half of the set, dropping firm favourites like "Free at last", "I can't stop these tears" and most bizzarely, "Batfink" lyrics from Hardcore's original 80's retro MC, he then turned the rest of the set over to the one like Wotsee, who took things the way he does them. Fast. He was in his element as the set drew to a close, caining "Wanna be famous" and "Satellite city" as Seduction terminated his set with "I'm a Hardcore DJ" Fantastic stuff.
But that weren't it. No, for those with stamina there was always more and in this case it was Hixxy and Styles on next. A departure from the usual pairings you get with the RBC, the only other person missing was Whizzkid, but he had been just on. Besides, Storm was more than capable of taking up the slack.
Another set firmly rooted in the Upfront Hardcore sound and all the better for it, it was another set which precluded conversation as dancing overtook me. I have no shame in admitting a absoloutely loved this set, mostly because of, once again, the seemless interaction between the men behind the decks and the man on the mic.
As Styles and Hixxy went for it on the decks, Storm was doing what he does best, motivating the ravers to dance as the Hardcore rained down on them. However, if you think he was compensating for the music then think again. Nothing was wanting in that department as "Sound without a name", "Save me" & "Give me a reason" were all dropped in quick succession.
Just as well too, cos Storm was bang on it throughout, proof positive he only gets better the deeper into the night it becomes, "I'm a raver", "Bass, fire", "Life's what you make it" & "we don't care" were sublimely slipped in, providing the perfect accompanyment to the final tune from Hixxy and Styles, the, frankly, awesome remix of "Fly away".
I don't mind admitting I was getting tired by this point, but sitting down was NOT an option, mainly due to the next DJ who replaced the RBC. The best damn DJ on the planet (and no, I'm not laying it on too thick) or Marc Smith as he is also know was on next, as well as one of his better MC pairings, Wotsee on the mic.
I knew exacly what I was in for, nothing less than the set of the night would do and spank me with a wet haddock if thats exactly what I got. I make no apology of being a huge fan of Marc's work, but this time he really did excell himself and the most notable gague for doing that was the dancefloor.
Starting off in top gear and not letting up from start to finish, Marcs set was designed to get the place moving and boy did it get results. I was getting closer and closer to the front as the hour progressed and Marc played harder and faster. Starting of sedately (for him anyways), he quickly got into the good stuff and this was where "Report to the bassline", "Gravity" and "Lets get dirty" lay. All the time Wotsee was right by his side, his micwork becoming so fast I could barely keep up with him, but I did manage pick out "Wanna be famous" and "Lyrical master".
With the previous hour being pretty much ram jammed, there was a noticalbe thinning out when Marc and Wotsee first arrived. However, the high energy, pace driven set and awesome tune selection soon brought them back. It was the logical conclusion and as such the dancefloor was back to strength when Marc had finished with them, in the best way possible too, with a remix of "PowerJam"
It was approaching 4am and I realised that I had spent the entire rave in the main room. That, would just not do, especially when there was the Uproar :Hard: room to enjoy. A quick consultation of the set time card saw me making my way up the stairs with all speed. My curiosity had been piqued and I was determined to investigate.
Jayfive was on the decks when I arrived, taking the 4am set in the top room. It was safe to say I had never seen him play out before so this, coupled with a night which was free from techno in its entirity so far meant that I was happy to be there and more to the point, interested in what he could come up with.
My education with the Harder side of the techno spectrum, hell, techno in its entirity if I'm honest with you, is sparse to say the least, but I do know what I like and in this respect I didn't go wanting in the slightest. Jay played a Gabba set entirely suited to the late hour, but it was the good 160bpm stuff mainly and featured plenty of over the top, overtly aggressive vocals, most of which were lost on me, but all of which got me going.
Okay, there werent too many people left upstairs and the left hand stack had been blown by the previous DJs, but I was having too much of a good time to care. Jayfive was impressing me to say the least and I was more than content to give it one man rave in front of the stacks to show my appreciation.
Like I said, I know what i like and even though the majority of his set was lost on me, I was a big fan of the tune with the thunderdome lyriucs, the tune with the ****** samples "Do you know what Nemesis means?", the darkness of "You people have done everything in the world to me" and best of all the goodness that was the breakcore that formed the backbone of his last tune.
For the final set, there was only one place to be and that was the main arena. 5am had come and as such the obligatory appearence from Sy and Storm was in oder. As I made my way down to the main arena things had already kickd off. All I had to do was join them.
The Power Hour is rarely referred to by name these days, but I like the way it sounds so I still do. Its the bit that defines Hardcore raving for me, 5am is when the rest of the world is asleep, but Hardcore ravers are not only awake, but compelled to dance to thier last. Especially so when its the final set of the night. I know I'm motivated to dance by the thought that this will be the last opportunity for seven more days and I'm sure I'm not the only one to think that.
It was just as well then, that Sy and Storm were on peak form for the next hour, Sy doing what he does best and providing the necessasary party tunes, bounceathon and Hardcore classics to send the ravers on their way.
However, for once, it was not the music, but what the crowd was getting up to that stole the show. For reasons lost to me, there were loads of glosticks on the floor and in another mystery to me, the ravers had taken to lobbing them on stage, or more specifically, at Storm.
If he was upset at this turn of events, he was hiding it well, if anything he was revelling in it. It was a Sid Vicious moment, but instead of Sid spreading his arms and being showered in a sea of gob from the Punks in the audience, it was the Hardcore version. Storm raised his arms at the front of the stage and weathered the hail of glosticks being flung at him by the ravers. I may not have described it well on paper, but it was a defining moment that I'm definitely not going to forget in a hurry.
However, fun though it was, it was only a momentary distraction from the music and rightly so cos it was something special to say the least. Like I said, everything you can expect from a full on Power hour was in full effect and it showed, with "I see the light", a nice remix of "21st Century rush", "You are my fantasy" and "Rave heart" all getting dropped.
Storm, whilst dodging the occasion glostick, was just able to find the time to actually MC for a bit and in doing so made sure the ravers didn't go wanting with "Hardcore, we want more", "Bass, fire", live accompanyment to "21st Century Rush" and "Hardcore Fantasy" all making themselves known as Sy came to a close with "Angel Eyes" and in doing so, pulled the curtain on the rave whilst lifting the needle.
Things I liked:
Music - Always a stalwart of innovation, the music on the night was definitely something to write home about, especially Marc Smith's and Unknown's set. Yummy.
Sound - A lot of people said it was too bassy, and I'd be inclined to agree with them, if I had stayed at a particular spot where the ceiling is close to the floor and the bass reverberates badly, but flagging down the one like Wiggi and talking some serious business about how a Hardcore sound system should sound like, I was informed it was tip top. Couldnt agree more.
Production - Most of the lighting rig is the Sanctuary's in house stuff, but it dont include lasers. This is where Tony Res comes in, with tho full on jobs in the main room and a equally beefy effort in the Techno room, Once again, they didn't fail to impress.
Football - One of the beach ***** floating about came into my posession and if MC Wotsee is reading this, then all I can say is sorry and I weren't aiming for you, honest bruv!
Birthday presents! - MC Rude did the honours and even though it was the event's birthday, it was the ravers who got free giveaways on the night. Nice one.
Things I liked less -
Heat - This was a strange one, it was boiling hot when we got there, but it seemed to mellow out later on. Might have had something to do with security opening up some blowholes, but whatever the people behind the scenes did, it worked. Later on it was almost bearable.
Gammer - Having him on first meant latecoming slackers (like me) missed his first attempt at a gabba set. I'm reliably informed that it was all good, but it would have been nice to see it.
For a third birthday bash, it was a credit to The Uproar organisation that everything went to plan on the night. Okay the numbers might have been a little down due to some football match or something, but the ravers in the know knew this was something not to be missed and got themselves into the area for a night to remember.
I know I had a good time, being absolutely soaked to the skin in my own sweat come chucking out time gives you an idea of how much I was going for it, but it was easily done with such high quality performances coming one after another. The night absoloutely flew by as well, always an indicator of a good night out, but the smile on my face is definitely the one I prefer to remember the evening.
Everything you could ask for and so much more. Okay it was a bit hot, but it was mid summer ffs, and if you cant stand a bit of heat, vacate the raving area. I weren't about to do anything of the sort, of course, the music was what I was there for and I didn't go away dissapointed.
Its funny that, in the three years I've been going to Uproar, I seem to have gone away dissapointed surprisingly few times. If at all, now that I come to think of it. One of the most competent, consistant, respected and popular Hardcore raves on the circuit to date, it seems a little incomprehensible that it all started just three years ago. Glad that it did though, heres to the next three!
astraboy.
After that there was no stopping uproar, it was huge events and nothing but, moving on from the sanctuary after holding the last 100 per cent hardcore event to grace the building before it was torn down. Following a brief flirtation with the emporium in Colville and a one-off spectacular (also the largest indoor hardcore event ever) at the Nottingham Ice Arena, uproar soon found its home at the other sanctuary, this time the one in Birmingham making it a firm favourite with the ravers as well it's spiritual home right up to the present day.
Of course, the passage of time takes its toll but in this instance, it is only served to mature the event like one would do with wine or cheese. actively noting the constructive criticism that the ravers have given them and taking on board where relevant and honing the most important aspect in the event, the line-up.
This is where uproar really does excel, having found its feet with a three-pronged line-up featuring upfront hardcore, techno and gabba in the second arena and hardcore breaks an old skool in a third room, it has set about fine-tuning the line-up creating a sublime mix of guaranteed crowd-pullers as well as artists who are much so well-known but just as talented.
This, brings us to the present day, most notably at the time the flyer for the birthday bash landed in my hands. On the face of it, it was the latest in the uproar hard core odyssey, touching down yet again at the sanctuary in Birmingham, for a celebration in its own inimitable style. Once again it was hardcore all the way in main room, with gabba and Old Skool in their respective rooms, but once again, it was the line-up that stole the show.
Top of the list, was a live PA, from none other than quosh records as well as a special appearance from seduction, playing a three years of uproar set featuring personal favourites, not forgetting the likes of styles and breeze, Scott Brown, Unknown, Marc Smith, hixxy, C L S M and Clodhopper. As well as that, who could forget the MC lineup to compliment this, with Storm, Whizzkid, Rude, Wotsee and best of all, Ribbz in a rare main room booking.
It was at the Sanctuary as well and that ment kick *** sound, a nice underground feel to the place and one of the best main areans (IMO at least) to go for it from the time we got there till kicking out time of 6am.
It saw me hurtling up the M5 for a change and getting into birmingham a little differently from normal, but on time and on track for the first DJ I wanted to see. I had been reliably informed that one of my favourite DJs was on at 11 and I was in plenty of time, nay even a little early so I could see his entire set.
As we waved off to park the car and walked back to the venue, a sizeable queue presented itself and after negotiating that, getting a reasonable pat down from security and saying hello to Rude and Sedders, not to mention picking up our obligatory free set time cards, we were in.
When you go to The Sanctuary, there is only one thing you have to prepare for and that is a lot of stair climbing, the main arena is up the stairs, the balcony overseeing said main arena is up more stairs and the chillout bar in the Gods are ever further up, but strong leg muscles are a pre-requsite of being a raver and I elected to go for the balcony to get to the main room.
When we got there there was a bit of dissapointment in store, namely seeing CLSM on the decks already and even worse, finishing off his set! To add to that, the long awaited Gabba set from Gammer was put on first and had long gone. Two of my favourite DJs finishing before my night had even started was a bit of a downer, so there was only one way to compensate, get on the dancefloor and go for it to the next set.
Handily enough, that was more than taken care of by Breeze, taking the 11pm set, together with MCSquared on the mic. More than enough to get my night going, thank you very much, so I got to my favourite spot on the Sanc main room (not too near those ear destroying stacks, bit to the right) and let the DJ and MCs get to work.
It would be an insult to the promoters to suggest they would copy a trademark of another party, but the end result was the same. With the party getting underway, the MCs, DJ and ravers rose to the occasion admirably, all of them determined to make the most of the night and it showed, mostly due to the the sea of movement that I was a part of throughout.
The music selection had a lot to do with this, as well as the polished and practiced level of interaction between the DJ and MCs. Lyrics and tunes were shot back and forth, with "Take you high" by MC Marley being complimented by Whizzkid going for "Pump Pump" and "Defintion of a bad boy" being propped up (if thats the right word for it) by Storm and "Just accept it".
From then on, there was no stopping the men from RBC. The tunes came thick and fast with the Styles remix of "Free your mind", "Come & fly with me" and "Heaven in my arms", following in rapid succession as Storm and Whizzked moved up to full MCSquared power, dropping "Hardcore Fantasy" & "We dont care". It was such an assault on the senses that thats pretty much the sum of my memory of the set, the rest was lost in a blur of Hardcore raving and loving it. One thing for sure, it got my night going with a bang.
But there was no let up once Breeze had finished with the rave, cos DJ Unknown was up next, taking the midnight slot with MC Rude on the mic. I was looking forward to this one as Unknown usually plays second fiddle or is stuck on at a time contrary to his talent and contribution to the music. Not this time though, so it was down to him to impress.
And Impress he did, with a playlist pretty much identical to my favourite tunes of the moment with the "Rushy, euphoric and upfront" catagories all getting namechecked in the opening minutes of his set and continuing to do so till the end.
But Rude's contribution cannot be overlooked either, especially when he spent the first portion of his performance giving out birthday presents before taking cover as the indoor pyrotechnics went off with a bang. Thereafter, he was in full effect on the mic, as well as dropping some of his more popular chats such as "kick it" and "Jump to the beat".
Unknown, on the other hands, seemed to be hell bent on making the ravers rush as hard as possible. His tune selection reflected this and as such, a replay of "Free your mind" mingled with other gems such as "Dropzone", "Cry", "Save me" and "On & On".
Next up was another performance which was all about Quosh, but it involved not the DJ moving, but the MC. Rude made way for Lou Lou on the mic as the Quosh Live PA came in and shook the place up.
It may have been only 15 minutes long and lacked live instrumentation, but what it lacked in longevity and equipment, it made up for it in all the right departments, namely choice tunes, top notch live vocals and making the ravers move. All the bases were therefore well covered and I was well up for what was to come. In the event, "You are my fantasy", "Caught up in your love" and best of all "Makin me wanna dance" were dropped one after the other. At least two of there are my firm favourites and the added dimension of Lou Lou on stage made a good tune even better.
If that werent enough then there was another special treat in store. Seduction was up next and as well as that, had promised a "3 years of uproar set", featuring personal favourites as well. While Whizzkid joined him on stage, I went and got some water. I was NOT going to miss this one, for no other reason than I have got a lot of time for his tune selection under normal circumstances, let alone when the situation demanded something special.
When I got back, my patience had been rewarded. Sedders was seriously into his work and was coming up with the goods in no uncertain terms. Like I said, I like the way this man orders his music, so when he and Whizzkid came together and got on it like a well oiled machine, great things abounded.
Starting off with a nice remix of "Addictions" and moving onward from there, the tunes were never ending in their ability to make the ravers dance and more to the point make me go all tingly at regualr intervals. "let the beat commence", "I Adore", "Put your hands up" was the sum total of the tunes I remember as the latter half of his set delved into the real of the unknown. One thing was for sure though, it was inspired stuff and if I was a sweaty astraboy before it, I was dripping after it was finished.
Doubly so due to the micwork, cos not only was Whizzkid on peak form for the first half of the set, dropping firm favourites like "Free at last", "I can't stop these tears" and most bizzarely, "Batfink" lyrics from Hardcore's original 80's retro MC, he then turned the rest of the set over to the one like Wotsee, who took things the way he does them. Fast. He was in his element as the set drew to a close, caining "Wanna be famous" and "Satellite city" as Seduction terminated his set with "I'm a Hardcore DJ" Fantastic stuff.
But that weren't it. No, for those with stamina there was always more and in this case it was Hixxy and Styles on next. A departure from the usual pairings you get with the RBC, the only other person missing was Whizzkid, but he had been just on. Besides, Storm was more than capable of taking up the slack.
Another set firmly rooted in the Upfront Hardcore sound and all the better for it, it was another set which precluded conversation as dancing overtook me. I have no shame in admitting a absoloutely loved this set, mostly because of, once again, the seemless interaction between the men behind the decks and the man on the mic.
As Styles and Hixxy went for it on the decks, Storm was doing what he does best, motivating the ravers to dance as the Hardcore rained down on them. However, if you think he was compensating for the music then think again. Nothing was wanting in that department as "Sound without a name", "Save me" & "Give me a reason" were all dropped in quick succession.
Just as well too, cos Storm was bang on it throughout, proof positive he only gets better the deeper into the night it becomes, "I'm a raver", "Bass, fire", "Life's what you make it" & "we don't care" were sublimely slipped in, providing the perfect accompanyment to the final tune from Hixxy and Styles, the, frankly, awesome remix of "Fly away".
I don't mind admitting I was getting tired by this point, but sitting down was NOT an option, mainly due to the next DJ who replaced the RBC. The best damn DJ on the planet (and no, I'm not laying it on too thick) or Marc Smith as he is also know was on next, as well as one of his better MC pairings, Wotsee on the mic.
I knew exacly what I was in for, nothing less than the set of the night would do and spank me with a wet haddock if thats exactly what I got. I make no apology of being a huge fan of Marc's work, but this time he really did excell himself and the most notable gague for doing that was the dancefloor.
Starting off in top gear and not letting up from start to finish, Marcs set was designed to get the place moving and boy did it get results. I was getting closer and closer to the front as the hour progressed and Marc played harder and faster. Starting of sedately (for him anyways), he quickly got into the good stuff and this was where "Report to the bassline", "Gravity" and "Lets get dirty" lay. All the time Wotsee was right by his side, his micwork becoming so fast I could barely keep up with him, but I did manage pick out "Wanna be famous" and "Lyrical master".
With the previous hour being pretty much ram jammed, there was a noticalbe thinning out when Marc and Wotsee first arrived. However, the high energy, pace driven set and awesome tune selection soon brought them back. It was the logical conclusion and as such the dancefloor was back to strength when Marc had finished with them, in the best way possible too, with a remix of "PowerJam"
It was approaching 4am and I realised that I had spent the entire rave in the main room. That, would just not do, especially when there was the Uproar :Hard: room to enjoy. A quick consultation of the set time card saw me making my way up the stairs with all speed. My curiosity had been piqued and I was determined to investigate.
Jayfive was on the decks when I arrived, taking the 4am set in the top room. It was safe to say I had never seen him play out before so this, coupled with a night which was free from techno in its entirity so far meant that I was happy to be there and more to the point, interested in what he could come up with.
My education with the Harder side of the techno spectrum, hell, techno in its entirity if I'm honest with you, is sparse to say the least, but I do know what I like and in this respect I didn't go wanting in the slightest. Jay played a Gabba set entirely suited to the late hour, but it was the good 160bpm stuff mainly and featured plenty of over the top, overtly aggressive vocals, most of which were lost on me, but all of which got me going.
Okay, there werent too many people left upstairs and the left hand stack had been blown by the previous DJs, but I was having too much of a good time to care. Jayfive was impressing me to say the least and I was more than content to give it one man rave in front of the stacks to show my appreciation.
Like I said, I know what i like and even though the majority of his set was lost on me, I was a big fan of the tune with the thunderdome lyriucs, the tune with the ****** samples "Do you know what Nemesis means?", the darkness of "You people have done everything in the world to me" and best of all the goodness that was the breakcore that formed the backbone of his last tune.
For the final set, there was only one place to be and that was the main arena. 5am had come and as such the obligatory appearence from Sy and Storm was in oder. As I made my way down to the main arena things had already kickd off. All I had to do was join them.
The Power Hour is rarely referred to by name these days, but I like the way it sounds so I still do. Its the bit that defines Hardcore raving for me, 5am is when the rest of the world is asleep, but Hardcore ravers are not only awake, but compelled to dance to thier last. Especially so when its the final set of the night. I know I'm motivated to dance by the thought that this will be the last opportunity for seven more days and I'm sure I'm not the only one to think that.
It was just as well then, that Sy and Storm were on peak form for the next hour, Sy doing what he does best and providing the necessasary party tunes, bounceathon and Hardcore classics to send the ravers on their way.
However, for once, it was not the music, but what the crowd was getting up to that stole the show. For reasons lost to me, there were loads of glosticks on the floor and in another mystery to me, the ravers had taken to lobbing them on stage, or more specifically, at Storm.
If he was upset at this turn of events, he was hiding it well, if anything he was revelling in it. It was a Sid Vicious moment, but instead of Sid spreading his arms and being showered in a sea of gob from the Punks in the audience, it was the Hardcore version. Storm raised his arms at the front of the stage and weathered the hail of glosticks being flung at him by the ravers. I may not have described it well on paper, but it was a defining moment that I'm definitely not going to forget in a hurry.
However, fun though it was, it was only a momentary distraction from the music and rightly so cos it was something special to say the least. Like I said, everything you can expect from a full on Power hour was in full effect and it showed, with "I see the light", a nice remix of "21st Century rush", "You are my fantasy" and "Rave heart" all getting dropped.
Storm, whilst dodging the occasion glostick, was just able to find the time to actually MC for a bit and in doing so made sure the ravers didn't go wanting with "Hardcore, we want more", "Bass, fire", live accompanyment to "21st Century Rush" and "Hardcore Fantasy" all making themselves known as Sy came to a close with "Angel Eyes" and in doing so, pulled the curtain on the rave whilst lifting the needle.
Things I liked:
Music - Always a stalwart of innovation, the music on the night was definitely something to write home about, especially Marc Smith's and Unknown's set. Yummy.
Sound - A lot of people said it was too bassy, and I'd be inclined to agree with them, if I had stayed at a particular spot where the ceiling is close to the floor and the bass reverberates badly, but flagging down the one like Wiggi and talking some serious business about how a Hardcore sound system should sound like, I was informed it was tip top. Couldnt agree more.
Production - Most of the lighting rig is the Sanctuary's in house stuff, but it dont include lasers. This is where Tony Res comes in, with tho full on jobs in the main room and a equally beefy effort in the Techno room, Once again, they didn't fail to impress.
Football - One of the beach ***** floating about came into my posession and if MC Wotsee is reading this, then all I can say is sorry and I weren't aiming for you, honest bruv!
Birthday presents! - MC Rude did the honours and even though it was the event's birthday, it was the ravers who got free giveaways on the night. Nice one.
Things I liked less -
Heat - This was a strange one, it was boiling hot when we got there, but it seemed to mellow out later on. Might have had something to do with security opening up some blowholes, but whatever the people behind the scenes did, it worked. Later on it was almost bearable.
Gammer - Having him on first meant latecoming slackers (like me) missed his first attempt at a gabba set. I'm reliably informed that it was all good, but it would have been nice to see it.
For a third birthday bash, it was a credit to The Uproar organisation that everything went to plan on the night. Okay the numbers might have been a little down due to some football match or something, but the ravers in the know knew this was something not to be missed and got themselves into the area for a night to remember.
I know I had a good time, being absolutely soaked to the skin in my own sweat come chucking out time gives you an idea of how much I was going for it, but it was easily done with such high quality performances coming one after another. The night absoloutely flew by as well, always an indicator of a good night out, but the smile on my face is definitely the one I prefer to remember the evening.
Everything you could ask for and so much more. Okay it was a bit hot, but it was mid summer ffs, and if you cant stand a bit of heat, vacate the raving area. I weren't about to do anything of the sort, of course, the music was what I was there for and I didn't go away dissapointed.
Its funny that, in the three years I've been going to Uproar, I seem to have gone away dissapointed surprisingly few times. If at all, now that I come to think of it. One of the most competent, consistant, respected and popular Hardcore raves on the circuit to date, it seems a little incomprehensible that it all started just three years ago. Glad that it did though, heres to the next three!
astraboy.
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15 September 2015 08:56 PM