It hurts to have to do this again, it really does. Last night witnessed one of the most heartbreaking events in Canberra nightlife history since Mooseheads reopened its doors and announced that it would, again, be providing the ACT with a popular place to bounce.

As part of their Australian tour, UK progressive electro-tech wizards King Unique (Matt & uhh… Matt) announced they would be gracing our humble shores, bringing with them records bags packed with tasty remixes, an effect unit or two and plenty of the dirty, gritty house the kids seem to be lapping up.

Unfortunately due to a double booking in this reviewer’s little black book, I arrived just as one of the Matt’s (the other had other commitments unfortunately) began his performance.

Armed to the teeth with a few CDJs, Ableton, an efx-1000 effects unit and some decks, the setup certainly looked tantalising, and immediately conjured up some exciting memories of Zabiela bouncing around on stage in July.

But there seemed to be one thing missing – the crowd. This was possibly the first time I had witnessed an international begin playing to two bouncers, a glassy and said reviewer. It was painful, the empty feeling exacerbated by the fact that the tunes pouring out of the speakers were good¸ really good.

Had a crowd been there, they no doubt would have been blown away by Sinden – Red Hot, Etiennce De Crecy – Fuck and King Unique’s own remix of Teenage Bad Girl – Ghost House.

Matt (whichever one it was) gained a whole heap of my respect that night – not only did he blow me away with his tracks and mixing, he played as if the room contained 500 people instead of 5. His energy and enthusiasm failed to wane into the early hours of the morning.

What can I say? Musically it was one of the best performances I’ve seen for a while, but with no one there, who cares? Thanks to the other dozen or so people who came, props to Matt for pushing through.

Canberra, where the bloody hell are you?