Lookin’ Good! has always managed to pull in a good crowd, so when it was announced that they had joined forces with the Smirnoff ICE inthemix crew, anticipation was at an all time high. With a reportedly massive number of RSVPs, word on the street was that arriving early was going to be essential for this event, so it was no surprise when arriving shortly before midnight we found ourselves greeted by a healthy sized line. Usually this has a tendency to put a bit of a dampener on things, however in the case of Saturday night the organisers have to be congratulated as they worked the queue handing out drink cards and letting people know that it shouldn’t be too much longer – a nice touch that you don’t tend to see these days.

Now, normally if people ask me to describe Candy’s Apartment I tell them that I think it resembles a bunker – underground, no windows and plenty of dark corners in which to hide. However on Saturday after we made our way down the stairs and past the friendly door staff (bouncers included), it proved to be anything but. As we stepped inside we were greeted by a sea of smiling faces – the dancefloor was rammed, the tunes banging and everyone looking like they were up for it.

Smirnoff Blacks were obviously the beverage of the night, and after being served by the extremely busy yet still smiling bar staff we settled in to catch the end of Homegrown’s set. As to be expected, four-on-the-floor house was the order of the night, and Homegrown had obviously done a superb job of starting things off, with room on the dancefloor at a premium. I’m not talking so crowded that you keep copping elbows in the chest, I’m talking nice and cozy – just the way we like it. There was a real feeling of a party atmosphere with people dancing on the stage and the crowd being hyped between sets over the PA.

Not long after midnight Bob Frisky took up his position behind the decks and continued building the atmosphere that Homegrown had done such a successful job of creating. Taking us on a journey of house classics spanning the last ten or so years, the crowd lapped it up. We’re talking piano riffs and vocals – the kind of tracks that remind you of long (almost) forgotten parties and clubs. And so for the next ninety minutes Frisky took the punters on a trip down memory lane and with the spot-on combination of the crowd, the venue and tunes, you could almost be forgiven for thinking it was 1994 all over again.

As Frisky finished off his set, I had forgotten just how warm Candy’s can get when the place is packed, so I took the opportunity to grab a breather courtesy of the air conditioned powder room. Finding a slightly more relaxed vibe, I watched Louisa Travers expertly mix it up until I could no longer resist the lure of Kate Munroe who had things going off in a big way in the main room. By now Candy’s was at capacity with people dancing anywhere and everywhere. Picking up where Frisky had left off, Kate Munroe treated the punters to a tight set of classic house on a slightly more commercial tip and to say the crowd loved it would be a massive understatement though in this reviewer’s opinion she could have played practically anything and the place still would have gone off.

Normally by the time it gets to 3am, things tend to have become a little more subdued. In the case of last Saturday night, things couldn’t have been more different. Tom da Silva took over from Miss Munroe and preceded to deliver an expert mix of smooth, pure house that just confirmed his place as Lookin’ Good’s newest resident. Now if scores were being given I would have to award full points to Tom da Silva for his track selection, however I for one found his scratching somewhat took away from it. Don’t get me wrong, technically it was spot on… just a little bit too prevalent for my taste. However this wasn’t enough to deter me (or anyone else for that matter) from dancing into the wee hours of the morning. As per the last time I was at Lookin’ Good, a saxophonist seemingly appeared from nowhere during Tom’s set and provided the perfect accompaniment.

As Tom finished his set and Adam Coverdale stepped up to be the man of the moment, the crowd responded in true Lookin’ Good! style with a tumultuous round of applause, whistles and cheers. Could Mr Coverdale continue the eclectic vibe that had been building all night long? In one word – yes. With their hands in the air the crowd danced on and the with the energy emanating from both the PA and the crowd, you could have been forgiven for thinking that the night had just begun. It was at this point in time that your weary reviewer reluctantly decided to depart and after saying my goodbyes and collecting my jacket from the delightful cloak room attendant, I trudged up the stairs and headed for home. By all reports Adam continued rocking the house until closing and to quote a reliable source, “his set was the perfect end to the perfect night”.

Yet again the three players behind the night – Lookin’ Good!, ITM and Smirnoff delivered the goods. The combination of a top crew of promoters, punters, banging house and exceptionally friendly staff made this one of the most enjoyable nights out for 2004. I’m guessing that the crew behind Lookin’ Good! have just made themselves a lot of new fans, so my only question now is, how long until the next one?