Bedlam - Students Union, Cardiff - October 9th 2010 (Live Review)
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Written by Elliott Batte
The massive line up for the night proved that Bedlam had a lot to live up to, showcasing the biggest names that Cardiff has seen for a while.
The only trouble they had was managing to fit so many DJs into two rooms without clashes, which one could argue was inevitably going to happen. But because of this, wherever you were that night, there was always great music blasting away on the Bedlam’s signature ‘Wall of Sound’ set up.
The first group on the stage in room one were local hip hop and grime act Astroid Boys, who are making huge impacts on the scene around Cardiff and pretty much the whole of the UK. With a dubstep inspired set from their own DJ Comfort, Phil ‘Traxx’ Constantinou and Benji tore up the stage in a taste that suited the crowd but without losing their own unique style and influences. Watch out for these in the future.
Dubstep legend Nero was next on the stage, paired with MC Linguistics. He didn’t hold back, starting heavily and only getting dirtier and dirtier throughout. Chase and Status’s tasty track Eastern Jam got dropped and mixed expertly with Magnetic Man’s hugely loved I Need Air, which was a very popular tune with Bedlam’s world beating DJs that night. Building up for one of Dubstep’s most brutal producers Excision, Nero kept the crowd lean and mean, creating one of the first mosh-pits I’ve ever seen at a dubstep night.
Canadian born DJ and musician Excision was one of the most anticipated acts of the night for the thousands of dub-heads in attendance at Bedlam, and he more than satisfied their needs. Grinding out some of the most disgusting, downright rancid dub anthems, he got the whole rave throwing their bodies round like it was nobody’s business.
Right round the corner in room two, Camo and Krooked, the Austrian drum and bass duo, were spinning energetic club records giving the whole floor an alternative way to get their groove on. The lively pair played a few of their own new tracks, like Climax and Reincarnation, ensuring no-one was standing still from the first till last minute of their set. They were followed by another brilliant match; Xample and Lomax brilliantly keeping the same hype as their predecessors playing Remember, a great track by themselves.
Joker started his set humorously but with good intentions, blasting out the Metal Gear Solid OST theme ‘Snake Eater’, eventually mixing into his own superb remix of the track. He continued to slam out the big guns through the whole set, including his critically acclaimed remix of Simian Mobile Disco’s ‘Cruel Intentions’, ensuring that Joker’s set was one of the biggest and best of the whole night.
The night was paused but not ruined, when just fifteen minutes through Rockwell’s very promising set in room two, some numpty tried to light a cig backstage, causing the fire alarm to go off and 1700 very un-easy ravers to temporarily be replaced onto the streets of Cardiff. Apart from a few scuffles, the venue did well to get everyone back inside quickly.
Cue legendary rave group Ratpack to get the party kicking again, playing a whole range of absolute classic tracks from Ibiza 90s rave to new age funky breaks. The pioneers of the rave scene showed just why they are so looked up to and prestigious, with a set to be remembered. Unfortunately because of the brief stint outside, their set was cut a bit short to allow headliners Scratch Perverts to enter the room.
In a similar style to the Ratpack, the dance floor veterans really killed it off in the final set of the night. Combining hip hop, dubstep, drum and bass, breaks, trance, techno and electro into one hour long session, they had the crowd moving even though it was 4:30am and the lights had come on. It was a perfect end to a very hectic night, and I think it’s fair to say the promoters and organisers have out done themselves.
The only thing now is to wait for the next time Bedlam rolls around to the students union!
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Dubstep legend Nero was next on the stage, paired with MC Linguistics. He didn’t hold back, starting heavily and only getting dirtier and dirtier throughout. Chase and Status’s tasty track Eastern Jam got dropped and mixed expertly with Magnetic Man’s hugely loved I Need Air, which was a very popular tune with Bedlam’s world beating DJs that night. Building up for one of Dubstep’s most brutal producers Excision, Nero kept the crowd lean and mean, creating one of the first mosh-pits I’ve ever seen at a dubstep night.
