Review: Black Box, Technotronic and N-Trance at Astor Theatre

Black Box, Technotronic and N-Trance at Astor Theatre
Saturday, April 20, 2024

Saturday night saw an incredible trifecta of '90s dance-pop legends that you’d never thought you’d see in Perth, let alone all together! It was a nostalgic celebration for the early '90s kids, now in their 40s and 50s, taking it back to those heady, carefree days when Eurodance dominated the pop charts.

Electronic music was still a new and exciting thing, and vocal house music had risen from the underground, while at the same time we were coming out of the hip-hop explosion of the late '80s. Those crazy Europeans created a fusion of the sounds with up-front melodies, packaged into pop singles.

There was a great vibe inside Astor from early on, with the up-for-it crowd having fun and not taking things too seriously. The dynamic warm-up and in-between sets DJ Pdula did a great job getting the party started, and the crowd pumping by playing a mash-up of every '90s dance track you could think of that wasn’t by the acts playing tonight.

It's amazing how many big songs there were from that era. It’s easy to forget about them, but as soon as they came on, it all came straight back. Show Me Love by Robin S from 1993, Son of a Gun by JX—all these tracks had a similar sound, with heavy synths and big soulful vocals, sampled and looped over a pumping beat, maybe with some rapid fire rapping verses added for good measure—exemplified perfectly by another big tune that was dropped, the evergreen energy of 2 Unlimited’s Get Ready For This. The Belgian-Dutch act were also recently in the country with the not quite so ready for it, Aqua. It seems all the Eurodance stars of yesteryear are coming out of the woodwork.

It’s an interesting prospect, and it's a bit uncertain what a live set from these legacy acts will entail—apart from one or two certified bangers each. But the night was well paced, and each act put on a surprisingly good show, reminding us that while some of the vocals might be a bit cheesy, the underlying tracks are solid, well-produced beats that still hit hard.

N-Trance were up first and essentially featured the current singer for the group, Tricia McTeague, belting out those epic '90s rave vocals, accompanied by rapper Jay McCurdy, who were both excited and had “come all the way down from Manchester!” The duo simply performed over a backing track and even featured a big video screen with the lyrics displayed over a backdrop of clouds, giving the performance a bit of a karaoke vibe, and the crowd was more than willing to sing along.

They kicked in with one of their hits that was inescapable at the time, Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?, their disco reworking of the old Rod Stewart track, featuring, of course, a rap part, and the vocal hook “You sexy baby, you drive me crazy.”

Higher was another lesser-known single; the vocalist’s voice was impressive and soaring, much like the original. But there was one track everyone was waiting for—their huge, timeless anthem, Set You Free. It was one of the most legendary dance vocal parts of all time, and when that breakbeat dropped, it was mayhem as hundreds of old ravers got their boogie on. They finished their set on a funky high with their other big disco re-rub, The Bee Gees Stayin’ Alive.

Pdula was back for the intermission and was giving it headliner energy—joyous vibes as he dropped hit after hit—a relentless mix of familiar favourites of yesteryear, including Yazz's The Only Way Is Up, the infamous Mighty Mouse remix of Abba’s Gimme Gimme Gimme, a big remix of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love, and Rhythm is a Dancer by SNAP!

Technotronic have recently been in the spotlight again through the most unlikely of means, with their biggest hit, Pump Up The Jam, featuring as a recurring gag in the hilarious deadpan history spoof Cunk On Earth. But whichever way you look at it, it’s one of the greatest and most pioneering dance singles of all time and has been listed in polls as such. Every time it drops, it’s irresistible to sing and bop along to. So we knew that was coming and was going to be a highlight, but what was surprising is that the rest of their set was great too!

Technotronic was founded by Belgian producer Jo Bogaert, Welsh rapper, songwriter, and producer Eric Martin (AKA Me One), and Congolese-Belgian hip-hop artist Ya Kid K. They featured various vocalists on their tracks, and as was strangely common for Eurodance, the actual vocalists were replaced by models in the videos and album shoots. This was famously the case with Ya Kid K on Pump Up the Jam, though she was eventually credited and changed the way things worked.

The vocalist Technotronic had on this tour, Faith, was great. With a huge voice and stage presence, she gave the performance more of a live, interactive feel. The set itself featured some Technotronic tracks but was actually a mega mashup of hits, which Eric Martin had prepared and sequenced, and it flowed really well. Eric Martin was very excited and seemingly lost for words, telling the crowd, “For 30 years, we’ve been waiting to come here! There’s so many things I want to say.”

Entering with the moody sounds of The Fugees’ Ready or Not, it was a journey through many classics of that golden era, from the 303 acid house workout of Josh Wink’s classic Higher State of Consciousness to Corona’s Rhythm of the Night, which somehow worked into Underworld’s Born Slippy. He even dropped Prodigy’s timeless rave classic, Out of Space.

Eventually, they worked their way to that moment, with that throbbing synth and hi-hat intro announcing it was time to Pump Up the Jam! The place erupted in movement and exclamation. It really was quite a moment; hearing the track live and loud really did make you appreciate what a great tune it is, even without the vocals. It’s got some solid grooves, tight production, fat analogue synths, and old-school drum machine sounds. Eric Martin seemed like he’d had a great time, sincerely telling the crowd, “From the bottom of my heart, thank you.”

After some more Pdula fun, it was time for tonight’s headliner—and lift the level they did, bringing the full live show! Black Box hit the stage with the stunning Celestine Walcott-Gordon providing the huge soaring vocals in her shiny gold dress, accompanied by a guitarist and percussionist, and the main man himself behind the decks at the back, the one remaining original member, pioneering Italian producer Daniele Davoli.

They immediately launched into Everybody Everybody off their hit 1990 debut album Dreamland. Following it up with another single from the album, I Don't Know Anybody Else, with its very retro piano roll. Walcott-Gordon belted it out seemingly effortlessly as she prowled and owned the stage. They were a very pro, full-live act that you could imagine sliding into a festival easily. While Technotronic might have provided some of the biggest thrills, Black Box were the definite headliners of the night.

They finished strong with a custom mash-up of The White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army and Eurythmics’ Sweet Dreams that somehow worked gloriously before it was time for Ride On Time! The vocals sounded bigger and stronger live, and the beat was heavy. A classic club tune.

And just when you thought that was it, there was a surprise encore! Davoli had prepared a special treat for the Aussie tour and dropped a wonderful and unexpected house remix of Xavier Rudd’s Follow the Sun. It was a touching tribute and a well-executed emotional finale.

All up, it was a really great night of upbeat vibes and nostalgic fun memories that were very much enjoyed by those in attendance. While a bit cheesy at times, the songs still packed a punch and proved their worth as timeless classics of a very specific and exciting era in dance music history.

ALFRED GORMAN

Photos by Linda Dunjey