After a short break from the weekly club scene in Wollongong, Bustin is back with a new venue, a few new DJs but the same commitment to a quality night. This week the Ministry of Sound Annual tour, with Mark Dynamix, rolled into town.

After leaving the previous venue, Bustin returned to it roots at the Illawarra Hotel a few weeks ago for the Breaks 03 tour with Kid Kenobi. For me, The Illawarra Hotel has provided some of the best nights I’ve had out in Wollongong in the early days of Bustin. I have always liked the house party vibe of the Backroom, and the extra space provided by the inclusion of the main bar and dance floor was a welcome addition. Along with a third room for hip hop, the new venue also allows Bustin to play around with the musical format, and hone the styles played in each room.

Stumbling in after a 21st at around 9, I caught the end of relative newcomer Mr Pink’s set in the main bar. Playing relaxed, funky house, he had most of the early punters up and dancing by the end of his set. Benny Hinn followed playing breaks in the Backroom. By this time Bustin was getting surprisingly full, and by the time Mark Dynamix started the Illawarra was absolutely crammed with people. It’s great to see that the Wollongong crowd is so supportive of this night, and it seems to grow every week. My only gripe is the main room can get pretty hot and is a bit difficult to navigate when it gets packed.

I must say I didn’t catch much of Mark Dynamix’s set, but from all reports his set was tight and he dropped many crowd pleasers from the new MOS Annual CD. That I missed Dynamix’s set really is a testament to local boys, ADD and Ben Henderson’s ability in the Backroom. Both these guys have been playing regular gigs at Kink in Sydney and never fail to impress. ADD’s breaks set included tracks such as Moguai’s ‘Get On’ and he consistently kept the room full and bopping in an unenviable set against Mark Dynamix. Finishing on a drum and bass tip, ADD proved once again that the local boys have the goods. Ben Henderson followed with another virtually faultless hip-hop tinged breaks set. Again Ben drew the crowd away from the main room and kept everyone moving and shaking. Make sure you watch out for one of these guys’ sets, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

G-Funk took to the decks in the main bar until the new closing time of 4am. The extended hours are such a benefit to the night, which used to finish at 2am in its previous venue. I’m not sure my liver agrees, however the extra time really helps the night feel finished, and the crowd isn’t so frenzied when they leave. It was great to see G-Funk in this later time slot, and he seemed to really enjoy working the already pumping crowd. Dropping pleasers such as ‘E-Samba’, everyone was signing and dancing by the end. A few encores later and another Bustin was over.

For a local night, Bustin really delivers on so many levels. Great locals, an ever changing roster of Sydney and interstate DJs and a friendly, unpretentious crowd. If you haven’t made the trip to Wollongong to check it out, there’s no excuse as the Stanton Warriors are playing on the 27th of December!