Photo Credit: The Drumsheds London
While many promoters have had the green light and opportunity to go ahead with a huge scale music event, not everything was that simple in 2021. Threats of new Covid-19 variants, ever-changing legislation on testing, and Covid status QR codes meant lots of music events stood at the mercy of last-minute changes to restrictions and cancellations dictated by the Department of Health. December 2021 saw the largest wave of infections no thanks to the milder, but more contagious Omicron variant in the United Kingdom which meant yet another setback for the events industries leading to many pre-planned events getting postponed.
The Hydra was not alone in this situation, forcing the promoter to postpone their sold-out ‘Not To Be’ event that was due to take place on December 18th. In January, The Hydra announced their new date and location via their Instagram with a lengthy, heartfelt apology explaining the difficulties that were endured to bring such a special event together that would honor both the headliners and the vision of the show. With a few amendments to the line-up (as some artists were not able to make the new date), the show was confirmed to take place at the incredible The Drumsheds venue that was also going to close its doors forever after their last hosting show on the 29th of January.
Despite the 11 days notice, the show firmly remained Sold Out with many keen fans scratching around for tickets, resulting in a whopping 10,000 people filling up the space to the brim. It has been a while since one has seen an event this busy with revelers directed in snake queues to enter different units and more porter potties than at a festival. This venue truly is geared towards a mass gathering. The last time I recall such an experience was TimeWarp. The incredible hangar-esque 4-unit warehouse towered high on the horizon beyond the IKEA of Meridian Water, drawing an unusually mature hipster crowd from all angles. It’s no wonder that the entrances were already flooding with partygoers as early as 1 pm which is a rare sighting for a day rave. With headliners such as Four Tet, Floating Points, John Talabot, Joy Orbison, Ben UFO, Carl Craig, and Moodyman, it’s no wonder people wanted to get in early doors and secure their spaces.
While warm-up guest DJs OK Williams & Gabrielle Kwarteng opened the floor in the smaller Unit 9, NTS Radio regulars Portuguese sweetheart Mafalda and multi-talented Zakia got the arrivals moving with an eclectic mix of tech, tribal, jazz, and naughty breakbeats. By 3 pm, the audience was steadily trickling into the venue and Sofia Kourtesis and Bella Boo took over the decks at Unit 9 starting with an ass-to-the-wall techno set, mixing in all kinds of naughty vocal tech such as ‘Kassian – Aerial’ and breaking it up with Latin American sounds such as Adam Port’s edit of ‘Eme Lelu’ by Quim Manuel O Espirito Santo. Following the pair’s 2-hour combined set, in come Tsha & Effy making way to the heavier pumping techno, throwing in mega tracks like ‘Clouds – Chained to a Dead Camel’, acid tracks by Gallegos (such as ‘Blue Mountain’) and even mixing in Masters at Work’s infamous ‘Work’ and even a cheeky trappy edit of Never Let You Go (Sammy Virji) by Hamdi. It was a surefire way to get the crowd all revved up for Joy Orbison’s and Ben UFO’s insanely dark and mysterious ethereal techno set.
Tsha & Effy
Meanwhile, John Talabot & Violet in Unit 5 got things going with the biggest disco ball man has ever seen, paving the way for a euphoric set for Motor City Drum Ensemble’s Danilo Plessow and Jennifer Cardini, dropping tunes by Armand Van Helden’s ‘I Want Your Soul’, CLS’s ‘Can You Feel It’, and closing with a throwback 90s track in THK – France (Mars Mix). And then began the clash of the titans: Joy Orbinson & Ben UFO hit the ground running with ethereal heavy techno tunes along the lines of Fiyahred’s ‘Anyway (Do It)’ while Jon Hopkins went progressive with ‘Some Polyphony’ by Petter, and then down the acid road of Client 03’s ‘Wavelife Dayjob’. By this point, both spaces have started to fill to the point of no return. It was a choice between going to get another drink or going to the toilet – or losing your spot, as you can tell that everybody was there for the night’s most anticipated finale of Four Tet B2B Floating Points and Carl Craig & Moodyman in Unit 9. It was a difficult decision to commit to one performance and I’m sure many have found themselves in the same position – but you just can’t have your cake and eat it.
However, my choice to settle in Unit 5 did not disappoint. Being a big fan of Kieran Hebden’s music over the years but never having the opportunity to see him play live, my expectations were set high. For those who don’t know, Fout Tet’s music has taken many venues, festival headlines, and countries by storm. The Grammy-award nominee has created a unique and highly accessible sound that has become a popular household name in indie electronic music culture, infusing jazz, hip-hop, drum machines, ambient vocals and eventually fusing all and everything in between – basslines, heavy basslines, and organic sounds. The excitement was real, only to be compounded by analog-synth-piano-master Floating Points (Sam Shepherd) to be taking behind the decks with him. Shepherd equally holds a big title in the electronic music world, also taking his unique explosive and often exciting and unpredictable DJ sets from dancefloor to festival highlights.
The two masters made the closing set for the last ever event at The Drumsheds worth talking about, with an incredible mix of visual art, blue and red strobe, neverending casting laser lights all over the hangar walls while mixing up all the genres you could think of. At one point, I heard a reveler wail ‘This is the best day of my life!’ as Four Tet dropped his regular banger, but still-unreleased mysterious bassy female-vocal led progressive bassy dubstep track that sent goosebumps all over my body. This masterpiece was swiftly followed by familiar vocals of ‘Luminee’ by STEDIT, ‘Never Leave You’, and even a surprise appearance of Swedish House Mafia’s remix of The Weeknd – Sacrifice. Other memorable tracks include Bby – Overmono, MPH – Locked In, Floating Point’s remix of Skepta’s ‘Back To Basics’, and Kölsch’s mix of Gui Boratto’s ‘618’. The set itself was an exciting mix of jungle, bass, garage, house while also mixing in the classic indie signature sounds. One minute you are getting low, the next your arms are thrown up in the air in ecstasy. It is precisely why this event was a hit sell-out event: there was something for everyone and everyone could find something they could enjoy.
As London continues to lose major music venues, this was an inspirational day out to remind everyone that music needs spaces to evolve, to be enjoyed, and to inspire next generations and keep the nation dancing. Although it was my first visit to The Drumsheds, I know it will be a memorable day with plenty of fresh tunes to awaken an otherwise grey and glum January 2022. Hopefully one day we are able to relive more events of such epic proportions curated by The Hydra and Broadwick Live in equally large venues alongside Printworks.
