The Australia Day long weekend… A time for celebrating our national spirit, our freedom, our diversity and our amazing country. Though in true Aussie fashion, it also happens to be an excuse to have an absolute ripper of a party! For the third consecutive year, the world’s #1 drum n’ bass DJ Andy C and his ‘Master of Ceremonies’ MC GQ, delivered an Australia Day experience that could only be described as not for the faint hearted.

Arriving at Metropolis at 11:40pm in the midst of yet another sweltering bout of Perth Summer weather, the deep rolling lyrical sounds of Diamond D’s set were the perfect way to ease into the evening. When midnight approached, the crowd let out a massive cheer and began chanting: “An-dee-cee, An-dee-cee’”. Silence transcended as GQ walked out on to the stage, with the darkened dance floor resembling a thriving colony of ants idling in anticipation of the main event. While GQ raised the participation levels of the crowd by inciting “Somebody say fuck yeah!” and “Are you ready to party??”, Andy C raised heart rates with his mastery of the decks, dropping Low Down by Xample as the clock ticked over to 12:15am. Approaching the dance floor from the outskirts of the ground level bar, deep bass-laden frequency assaulted the senses and reverberated to the core.

Between 12:40am and 1:00am, Andy relentlessly smashed out the Power of Rah! by Ebony Dubsters, If We Ever by High Contrast, Swamp Thing by Sub Focus and Disco Dodo by Lynx and as GQ commanded: “Drop that Bass!”, Andy C responded with Druids from Chase & Status. With tight cuts and drops, intuitive track selection and teasin’ that was nothing less than pleasin’, Andy C wowed the crowd and left them gasping for air. 1:00am through 2:00am delivered Feelings by Shy Fx & T Power, some old school hip hop, X-ray by Sub Focus, Be True from Commix, all this incited an ever-appreciative “Andy, Andy, Andy – Oi Oi Oi!” from the crowd. The venue absolutely exploded with Screamer Ram Trilogy as the dark, deep, violent driving bass ripped through the venue, so when GQ narrated: “Slowin it down, slowin it down …” Andy mellowed it out and gave the punters time for a long overdue breather.

As GQ serenaded: “Feel like dancing, I feel like da-ancin ..” the ever popular In Love from Chase & Status feat. Jenna G rolled across the soundwaves and combined gracefully with Aeroplane Sub Focus. With smiles of appreciation all around, Hurt U Chase & Status and some encouragement from GQ: “Lets keep it movin, lets go, lets go!” kept the party going. The Drumsound & Bassline Smith remix of Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger by Daft Punk absolutely sky rocketed the vibe through the rafters and as 2:50am approached, the set did not lose momentum as Machete from DJ Hazard blasted through the speakers.

While a microphone shy Andy C was hesitant to say a few words, he provided a hammering encore to close out the set. Dieselboy and Messinain took over the reins shortly after 3:00am, picking up the tempo and keeping the morning moving. But by 3:40am, it was clear that the vibe just wasn’t the same as numerous diehard Andy C fans cleared the venue and congregated outside to revel in the glorious three hours that had passed.

In a context where “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie – Oi Oi Oi” was reworded and dedicated not to our nation; but to the world’s #1 drum and bass icon, the old adage, “third time’s a charm”, certainly rang true. Another awesome Loaded Dice event, and an experience not to be forgotten in a hurry!