I have developed a nice little routine for myself on Saturday nights. I always pretend that it is going to be tame, invariably have a large one and end up chiding myself for days. I knew that Saturday night was always going to be large as my favorite +1 was eager to come out of hibernation for one night (having recently purchased a pad, debaucheries are quickly becoming a thing of the past for her).

It was quiet when we arrived; most people were probably just finishing dinner. Walking up the stairs is always fun: it evokes a feeling of mischief and anticipation. The venue definitely has character from the moment you walk in. Some complain that it is too dark: this fortunately works in my favour (I look better in the dark). It is hard to elucidate the set up, but there are essentially four places that you may choose to spend time.

There is the side room filled with couches, a bar and dance space, which on this articular evening was inhabited by Daniel C, Luigi Desposito, Crispin and Piero. There is also the main room where Tones & Max Plowman, Trent Anthony, Chris Fortier and Matt Rowan played over the evening. My favorite room is up the end, is square and has glass walls and couches. Almost connecting these four areas is the bar region which also has a sufficient seating area.

Naturally we headed straight for the bar which has just been mentioned, and ordered a beer… The beer selection leaves something to be desired to say the least. Why is the selection only Corona or Stella? I almost (but not quite) had a vodka instead.

At this stage, the most viable option was the side room, so we went in there whilst Daniel C was playing. He was playing moderately laid back breaky house, however as soon as more people arrived he totally changed his tune to align with the crowd, and the pace picked up. He was aware of what was going on around him and played accordingly. Following Daniel C was Luigi (we had still not managed to have a meander elsewhere). Luigi also played a great set: I have not seen the room so full before and even I was dancing (this is quite rare considering my dancing style has been likened to that of a preying mantis having an epileptic fit). Both these sets had me fired up, ready for Fortier.

I do not know what I was expecting from Chris Fortier: I knew that it was not going to be a purely prog set as I had done some research into the new direction he was taking. However, whilst I was open to suggestions (isn’t that the point of trying new things?), I found that I was not cajoled into the set: it simply got too hard and thumping for me way too quickly. The compilation and mixing was great, but I felt the set was lacking in edge. Unfortunately, I don’t think that I was the only person who felt this way.

The next thing you know, the majority of the crowd was in the side room where it was still jumping. Crispin was sliding between genres, and everyone was malleable to that. Whilst the set by Fortier may not have reached expectations for many, it was more than compensated for in both rooms by the support acts. Matt Rowan at the end of the night in the main room picked up the pace, and the venue stayed busy until the end.

Noone seemed to be having a bad night, and the crowd was one of the best I have seen. Everyone was friendly, talkative, and moderately unphased by the lackluster performance. People simply shrugged their shoulders and continued to have a great time.  There was no pretension and the night was one of the finest I have had in ages. Not only was I out on the town with my good friend, but we met some great people, and the rest of the music (aside from an hour and a half of music that didn’t suffice) was sensational all the way to the end.

The Sweetchilli parties are yet to disappoint me: and I have been to five now. I am very much looking forward to The Hacker and David Carreta this weekend!