Pendulum (DJ Set) @ Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre
w/ ShockOne, Upbeats, Annix
Saturday, July 29, 2017
Let’s be straight up here, there’s only one word (or name) needed to peak the hearts and minds of the local drum and bass community. That word is Pendulum. Mixing this with a truly intercontinental representation of authentic bass driven electric grooves from the likes of Annix (UK), The Upbeats (NZ) and ShockOne (a now London-based Perth expat), this line up was always going to drop with one hell of a boom!
The national run of the much anticipated Compound tour hit the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre last weekend, and left one hell of a mark, both on the venue itself and the scattered minds and ears of those eager to experience exactly what an underground warehouse rave could be like, minus the very noticeable local Police presence on site, of course.
Once you navigated the gigantic swell trying to enter the converted industrial space which is the main hall of the Convention Centre, the onslaught was immediate. The concrete floors entrenched by a mass of heavy black drapery provided the perfect sound acoustics needed for an enthralling, high speed drum and bass lover’s paradise.
The far perimeter housed the deck podium, nestled comfortably beneath a multitude of LED screens, fixed with beat-timed and rapidly switching animations, the perfect makeshift pulpit preaching to the rave-hungry congregation amassed at it’s feet. Their own personal version of an electro-beating mosh-pit.
UK underground D’n’B scene duo Annix caused some damage early, and set an instant tone for the night ahead. Stringing out a rabid selection of tracks, the hungry crowds pumped in early.
The Upbeats have been stirring some talk around the scene lately, with these two producer-DJs carving up some serious street-cred around the circuit, and more importantly, bringing it to their thumping live sets. Renowned for a stage show which includes mosh-pits and crowd surfing, injecting something new into the scene theirs is an immensely absorbing drawcard to any supporting line up.
A seamless transition of momentum saw ShockOne, aka Karl Thomas hit up the decks. The Perth-born D’n’B master (now permanently residing in London) laid it all out on the decks and by now the makeshift boiler room of the Convention Centre was n full rage mode. Crowds were tight, vibes were right, lasers of light and beats of might. This craftsman cultivated some epic mixes to the delight of a hard dancing venue, completing the foundations laid previously for Compound’s headliner and hometown heroes.
There’s not really much else you can say about the love affair our fine city and the global community has with with Pendulum that has not been said before. Headlining last year’s Origin NYE and a favourite of not only hardcore D’n’B lovers, but the wider music-loving audience at large, a Pendulum headliner is always going to be a massive drawcard.
Equipped with a masterful mix of old and new, Pendulum on Saturday night off was the perfect send off into the wee hours of a fast movin’, deep groovin’ D’n’B set for the Perth leg of the Compound Tour.
BLACK NICHOLSON
