Live Review: Fatboy Slim, Gorgon City, Motez, Henry Saiz

24 January 2018 | 10:29 am | Elliot Cahill

"He was like a six year old who just ran into a house party and wanted to surprise the guests."

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Henry Saiz started the night off with mellow-tempo, deep-bass kickers as the sun set over the Red Hill auditorium. The sky was golden as tech-house frequencies vibrated throughout the limestone staircase. People lined up for their dose of drinks from the bars and onlookers enjoyed the mix from a distance. There was such a lively atmosphere among concert-goers.

The venue got darker, the mix crossfaded to Motez and purple lights illuminated the masses. Bass hit our throats, pulsating soul and mind. Then later into the night, the house music got deeper, darker and more energised. Gorgon City broadcast their signal to fellow frequency lovers, finding additional deeper tones on the audio rig and sending the crowd into a daze. 

The lights dimmed, the stage went black and suddenly people began tuning into an ecstatic channel. With a massive, contented grin on his face, Fatboy Slim (Norman Cook) opened his set with what sounded like a Cinderella-inspired Disney theme piano piece, stooped behind his Pioneer decks and MacBook that featured the quote: "I'm a good man, but you make me bad" - a statement meant for the masses. Playing popular track Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat sent the crowd into a frenzy, everyone was up and about and the whole venue was standing on the edge of a cliff waiting for every drop. Barefoot behind the decks, Cook's inner child showed itself. He was like a six year old who just ran into a house party and wanted to surprise the guests. Our attention fixed on the screen, yellow smiley emoticons and a series of mind-questioning graphics put everyone's sense of reality into query. Our heart rates were raised to a whole different level. This frenzy of energy pushed on 'til the early hours as Cook played 2000s nostalgia tracks.

The screen displayed graphics of drone footage and satellite photos with an animated hand clapping. You'd fall into a spell if you kept your eyes fixated on the screen too long. Blaring air horns were utilised on stage and there was nothing this entertainer couldn't pull off. "Get down, get loose, get funky," flashed up on the screen. A video of body-painted women lit up the screen taking the whole venue to a tribal place. Cook then threw on a mask of his alter ego. He finished off the night with his classic track Praise You - a new mix that added acoustic piano sounds. A cosmos of intrigue.

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