Dillinja / Ed Rush & Optical / Ink & Keaton @ Concorde 2 then DJ Krush @ The Loft and back again!
It happens all the time in Brighton; the monthly calendar is packed with such an array of wicked nights that you often have to make an agonising choice. Last Saturday was a perfect example of this, as Ship Street venue The Loft offered trip-hop turntablist guru DJ Krush while Concorde 2 hosted its monthly big-name drum and bass night courtesy of Devotion. So, what do you do when you can’t decide? Well, I decided to go to both.
The plan was simple: start at Concorde 2, nip over to see DJ Krush for an hour then return to round off the evening with some filthy basslines. With Devotion coming up to its fifth year in Brighton, its popularity is still growing, made obvious by the now standard queues outside Concorde 2. Inside, the main room was already busy, the crowd bouncing away in a decidedly party-like atmosphere. Levela played a lively, if sometimes clumsy, set with ‘Too Bad’ and ‘Capoeira’ bringing that summery feeling, if only for five minutes. With the crowd thickening and elbows becoming more prominent it was time to jump into a taxi to The Loft for something completely different.
On tour promoting the ‘Ko-No-Michi‘ DVD, which charts his fourteen year, eight album history, Krush is arguably one of the most skilled DJs on the planet. He seamlessly fuses melodic scratches and perfect beat-juggles to create tunes that are completely unique, although can occasionally lead his sets into prolonged, abstract soundscapes. No such worry tonight though, as Krush came out blazing with his perfectly blended mix of hip hop and jazz.
Smiles were raised as the already excited crowd rushed towards the DJ booth. Krush crafted his way through tunes pulled from his entire back catalogue that kept the crowd happily bopping along throughout his set. One of the joys of seeing Krush live is watching him scratch and juggle his way through a set, continually building the excitement of the crowd.
Unfortunately, the fact that the DJ booth is cut into the wall in the room’s corner meant that all but the front seven or eight people couldn’t see Krush, which was a shame as he is such a technical and animated DJ. However, this didn’t stop the appreciative and noticeably friendly crowd from tearing up the dance floor.
Reluctant to miss the finale to which Krush was building, it was time to bounce back to the Concorde 2 to hopefully catch Dillinja, Ed Rush and Optical’s set. As it turned out, Dillinja had been forced to pull out due to a back injury yet this did little to affect the mood, and as a result XYZ walked into a dancing frenzy!
Ed Rush & Optical controlled the crowd with long, drawn-out, build-ups before ploughing their way through a smattering of heavy beats and double drops that left everyone glad of the rest during the next breakdown. MC’s Ecksman and IC3 had been doing a good job of hyping the crowd all night but it was ID who stood out, breaking up his well-placed rhymes with periods of just letting the music play, something rarely heard at drum and bass nights.
For the last hour of the night DJ Ink and Keaton took to the decks and, while not as heavy as you might expect, played a grimy set that kept the dance floor thick and moving to the very end. The evening was concluded with the MC asking to drop a dubstep tune, something which was greeted enthusiastically by the still-impressive crowd. Although this was nothing in comparison to the ecstatic shape-pulling that greeted one last spin through a drum and bass tune before kicking-out time.
The club-hopping plan went fairly smoothly, hampered only by long queues (Concorde 2), silly waits at the bar (The Loft) and lack of information about set times (both). However, this did nothing to damage the overall enjoyment of the evening and the two events complimented each other perfectly. The Concorde 2 provided the perfect setting to get the energy up before bopping along in the happy atmosphere of The Loft then getting down to some proper hardcore dancing to finally numb the legs.
While club-hopping was wicked for a night, knowing how fun each venue was, it left me wondering what I missed in my absence (Commix and Krush’s undoubtedly impressive finale). This reinforces the notion that if you have to choose between two big nights, remember that this is Brighton: they’re both gonna be good!
Words: Chris Leggett, Concorde 2 photography: Jack Donald
