Audiology Touring set their sights high with A Night of Drum and Bass, wanting to bring a multi-room rave back to the Ellerslie Events Centre. While there’s no doubt it was a great night, I’m not quite sure if they delivered on that goal.
UK artists Inja, Bru-C, A.M.C., Benny L and Turno all stole the show at the main stage. While each of these performers were exceptional in their own right, the surprise standout of the night was Inja. His positive energy and love for performing shone through and rubbed off on the crowd, even when he was telling us “don’t be a prick” and to stop throwing cans. All of these acts were outstanding, and so they should be, as arguably some of the biggest drum and bass acts in the world right now.
The problem is, this event had so many strong headliners at the main stage that there was no point in leaving the stage. I didn’t get a chance to check out any of our local talent at the other two stages, because when I’m paying $100 for a gig, I want to see the five international headliners who have traveled and spent time quarantined to be here. Because no-one really left the main stage, it was very crowded. Even at the back of the crowd I found myself being pushed around all night — I get it, it’s part of the experience, but I think a larger venue and fewer stages would have been beneficial.
“My favourite part was when Turno threw his birthday cake into the audience.”