Boxing Day heralded the long awaited return of Ministry of Sound Classics to the Greenwood Hotel. We arrived at about 3pm, just in time to catch the second half of John Glover’s set in the Courtyard. The sound was very electro funk and exuded a happy and upbeat vibe. This vibe was very much needed as there was only one bar open, and almost everyone was crowded in the small room waiting to get drinks. His set played loudly through the bar speakers and had some punters singing along, and others doing dance moves in the line. It kept you entertained during the long wait. I didn’t get to witness the end of Johns set as it took me an hour to get my drinks! By the time I reemerged, Shamus was starting up.

I made my way to the front of the stage and didn’t stop dancing for the entire 2 hours. Shamus was in fine form. I know I must seem a bit biased, but once again Shamus delivered an awesome, totally standout show. He has an outstanding ability to read the crowd, giving them exactly what they want. He played a Daft Punk favorite early on in the set, and as I turned around to look at the Courtyard, it would be safe to say that at least 80% of people were dancing with massive smiles plastered over their faces. Shamus played songs that you could sing along to, and it seemed that at the end of each track the crowd was in eager expectation of what would come next. A cheer would erupt as he delivered his next classic, with tracks such as a remix of the ‘I Feel Love’ by Donna Summer, and the recent ‘Destination Calibria’ by Alex Gaudino.

Jamie Doom was playing in the Classic Rave Room, and he kept me in there for a while by playing The Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’. It always amuses me to watch a “rave room” as I don’t really get the whole rave concept. The people that do, though, obviously love it and it’s infectious to watch them dancing and jumping around to the beats. Although it’s not usually my thing, I found Jamie’s set enticing. He delivered it with style. I headed into the Classic Progressive Room to have a look also, and Robbie Lowe was in the midst of his set. The mood in here was much the same as the rave room. Fans stood below the DJ booth cheering and pumping their arms as Robbie delivered grinding beats, only to then bring it pounding back at full force. I sat down for a while and found myself smiling as he wound the crowd up perfectly every time, the sign of a truly a great DJ.

Alan Thompson was now coming to the end of his set, and I don’t really feel it stood out as being that spectacular. I can’t fault his mixing or the vibe of the crowd, but it seemed as if he was playing the classics right off a Ministry CDs. There were crowd favorites like Midnight Star’s ‘Midas Touch’ which had everyone singing along at the top of their lungs, and the courtyard was the most crowded I’d seen it in ages. That made it difficult to move, let alone dance, so I sat on the garden ledge to chill out. it wasn’t easy, though, as the constant stream of spilled drinks weren’t much fun to contend with. It was obvious that the crowd was now ready to hear Goodwill take over.

I got up and made my way over the front of the sticky floor to get another drink. There were so many people that this alone took me half an hour, so I didn’t get to see the start of Goodwill’s set. When I stepped back outside, EVERYONE was dancing. I stood on a step and looked out over the crowd. Every single person in the place was moving and the courtyard looked alive. Goodwill had succeeded in holding the crowd’s attention and had them moving. The evening was wonderful.

For me, Shamus was the clear stand out of the night, but I have to admit that I didn’t get to “feel” the Groove Terminator set as I was stuck out in the mall. Although I found the place way too crowded (and doused in sticky alcohol), it was plain to see that everyone was having the time of their lives. Another great night!