Pendulum, Staen 1, Doe andD'Jon, MC G-Swift @ HQ,Adelaide (15/04/08)

Tue 22nd Apr, 2008 in Gig Reviews

Check out all the photos HERE

Around 8:30pm HQ did not look like it was staging a show as big as Pendulum, it was a fairly laid back pub affair, with people chatting and drinking after a days work. The beats were being provided by John Doe and D’Jon and MC G-Swift (Beatsmugglers). There were a few people on the dance floor warming up the for the night ahead. It wasn’t until about 9pm the place started really filling up.

When Adelaide’s own Staen 1, stepped up to his decks way up in the heavens above the stage, he received a huge parochial cheer. One dude behind me was bitching about a hip hop DJ having no place at a Drum and Bass show, he was clearly outnumbered and soon shut up. Having spun decks for the Hilltop Hoods, and opened for Cypress Hill and Public Enemy; Staen 1 took tonight in his stride. The near capacity crowd got moving, with old favourites like the House of Pain’s Jump Around, and Cypress Hill’s Insane in the Brain. When he gave props to the Hoods, playing The Nosebleed Section, the crowd went considerably apeshit, with most people singing along to this now Australian classic. Watching Staen 1 on the monitors around stage showed a blur of hands and fingers, cutting, spinning, and breaking, it was a shame he couldn’t have been put on the stage in better view. His set was intuitive, obviously knowing he would have a tough crowd, he picked out some great tracks, giving nearly everyone a goodtime before the main act, thus showing why he’s three times Australian DMC champion.

10:30pm and HQ was packed, there wasn’t going to be much dancing on the floor tonight, with people jammed shoulder to shoulder. Anticipation hit its peak when Staen 1 faded out and the place fell dark, a theatrical prelude emitted from the snyth deck. A Joe Satriani look alike strode across stage and sat behind the sweet eight-or-so piece drum kit, the rest of the band slinked out and stood in their positions. The theatrical prelude gave way to a barrage of drum, bass and guitar with stark white light flashes from the strobes. People moshed the dance floor, which is all they had room to do, some people even took to standing on tables and ledges to dance. As clichéd as it sounds, the atmosphere was electric. The bass was felt more than heard as it pounded against chests, the kick had that nice DnB thump, and the guitar sounded as convincing as any live rock band. The Prodigy’s Voodoo People was put through its paces Pendulum style, i.e. faster and heavier. The latest single, Propane Nightmares, really shone through the set, its an amazing song, which is reminiscent of Fear Factory’s Resurrection, both of these great songs combine a melodic emotive feel juxtaposed with heavy undertones. Fasten Your Seatbelts, Slam, Blood Sugar and Granite were also featured in tonight’s set. The band left the stage after one and hours and were demanded back by the crowd. The crowd got their encore and before the band left the stage for the final time. The crowd refused to accept that the end of the set had come, I stood around until the roadies started unplugging the rigs after ten minutes, then decided to get a leg on the door rush, but there were people still demanding more, some how the club next-door playing DnB wasn’t much consolation. Which is fair enough, after seeing live DnB could you really accept any substitute?

Check out all the photos HERE