Every time a Ministry of Sound event appears at Family I get a bit excited at the prospect of hearing the latest/future top-selling dance tracks on the Family dance floor nice and loud. Unfortunately, each time I’ve attended I have been convinced that I would have been better off purchasing the latest MOS compilation and a carton and dancing the night away to the CD at home – the differences being that I wouldn’t reek of cigarette smoke from every pore and orifice for the next week and I wouldn’t have to deal with the ridiculous cab lines or the wonderfully diverse yet increasingly hostile patrons of the Valley (no thanks to the 3am lockout). There is a certain vibe at the Family though, that can make the night worthwhile.

Before the gig, I was looking forward to seeing Goodwill, veteran DJ from Sydney and one of the iconic club DJs of the Sydney scene. I remember following his name and Kid Kenobi’s, cutting a path from small club nights to larger and larger festivals and to now being one of Ministry’s stock DJs. I however sometimes wonder if he really does enjoy DJing under the Ministry moniker, because given the tunes he played during his set I am pretty sure there is not much room for any sort of individual style. This is not to say I don’t envy him, but MOS DJ sets always seem to have very strict guidelines which surely must feel inhibiting to a DJ like Goodwill. Nonetheless, the crowd looked like they were having fun, Family was packed to the rafters, his mixing was tight, he had good awareness of the crowd’s energy, and the music – although entirely predictable - it was great dance floor material. As a fan I was somewhat disappointed with his set and felt it didn’t live up to any of the other occasions I had seem him play and even though the crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves, I admit to having witness more energetic crowds in the Family main room at previous MOS gigs.

The Uncle dance floor proved to be more interesting entertainment for majority of the night. Dirty Laundry played to pretty much the maximum amount of clubbers you could cram into the smallish room with their DJs vs vocalist combination. Having the two main headliners for the night play simultaneously seemed a little odd to me, perhaps it was to pull some of the crowd away from the main room. MC Seany B and special guest Yasmine on the mics were getting a good crowd response on top of Dean Cherny and JJ Styles’ house and breaks and the crowd there seemed much more into the music, with flailing limbs everywhere. Dirty Laundry were strong enough not to be undone by some poor sound mishaps, although their beats still were quite muddy at times, but they still managed to keep the crowd entrapped with their tunes. These guys are upbeat, fairly energetic and definitely worth a look if you’re up for having a dance. They may not push any boundaries, but the do make for an enjoyable hour or so for keeping you on your toes.

Music-wise, throughout the night I was neither inspired nor did I hear anything outstanding from the two main acts. Fortunately for Family and MOS, this music isn’t really about the music, it’s about clubbing and dancing on a packed dance floor with beats slamming your ears and hearing the tracks you know, something the night was definitely successful in achieving. From the clubbing point of view – yes, this did provide that sort of entertainment, lush atmosphere and familiar melodies; and to be honest there’s nowhere else in Brisbane to have that sort of night and to such a capacity. However, like many I think my days of dancing to MOS tunes are almost over.