Dear Q-Dance, I Love You. The End.

So ITM won’t let me get away with a 7 word review, but that does sum up my feelings about the Sydney leg of the Q-Dance Australia Tour 2008. It was the tour the Australian hardstyle community has been waiting for. Q-Dance: one of the world’s biggest hard dance events, direct from the legendary Dutch promoter of the same name – finally in Australia. Excited much? Words can not quite express. After months of hype, Easter Thursday rocked around and a little after 10pm saw me outside the Hordern, ticket in one hand, eagerly awaiting the madness to begin. And then I heard the music. Not from inside the Hordern, but coming up the road. It was the black Q-Dance themed bus pumping out Pavo Electronik. And on the roof of the bus were some familiar faces – Dana! Zany! All the DJs! What an arrival. The crowd queuing went wild and, if anyone had doubts, it was now quite obvious we were in for something rather special.

Entry was a breeze and, after a quick stop at the merchandise stall, it was inside and ready to rock. The Hordern, being purpose built for entertainment, was an inspired choice. Plenty of stadium seating, ample toilets, well-placed bars, and quality acoustics make it one of Sydney’s premier venues. Local DJs Nik Fish and Matrix were warming up, although their set featured more poor mixes than is really acceptable. The first internationals, Alex Kidd and Kutski, took over the reins and dished up Dutch Master Get Up, Jump Around (Kidd Remix), Kamui Electrofunk, and some tight scratching and beat juggling. The tempo dropped a notch with Mark Sherry taking to the stage. I personally thought he should have been pre Kidd & Kutski, nonetheless he worked up nicely to classics like Fire Wire and Operation Blade.

Midnight and the Q-Dance extravaganza came into its’ own. The lights dimmed, video screens flashed, the Q-Dance voice promised to “rock our world”, then lasers lit the room and fireworks erupted from the front of the stage. The vibe in the Hordern was absolutely electric. Brennan Heart kicked off the hardstyle with Get Wasted (which he cheekily edited in one section to “get fucking wasted”), and then proceeded to dominate the arena with a succession of bombs. From his own catalogue we heard his remix of No Doubt Don’t Speak, the Showtek remix of Revival X, Remember Remember and a Oneblade/Masterblade mashup. Add to those Isaac In My Veins, Builder Her Voice, Qlimax 2007 anthem The Power Of The Mind, and Headhunterz Rock Civilisation for a set which both impressed and energised.

“I just heard a guy outside announce over a megaphone that Donkey Rollers have been cancelled”. This dismaying SMS reached my phone during Sherry’s set. How is that possible, I wondered, with at least two of the members definitely in the building… As Brennan Heart left the stage, the question mark hung like a knife. I was prepared for 5000 people booing. And then DV8 quips “Some of you might have heard them announcing outside that Donkey Rollers were cancelled. Nobody cancels on the Donkey Rollers!” It seems like the joke was squarely on us, and thank goodness, for the trio never fail to impress. DV8’s sassy MC’ing, Jowan’s tight mixing, and Zany revving up the crowd produced a memorable set. Opening with Revolutions, the guys rocked the Hordern with a choice selection of their tunes including Atrocity, Fusion of Sound, No One Can Stop Us, and Followers.

The lasers were spell-binding, fire leapt from the stage, and the sound quality was crystal clear. And whilst a CDJ might have blown on Luna, that didn’t stop him. Showing some D-Block & S-te-Fan love, we were treated to Ride With Uz, Existence and Keep It Coming. Skillful at mixing new releases and old favourites, 2008 Dozer tune Church of the Darkside featured alongside 2006 releases DJ Duro Oldskool Phenomenon (Showtek Remix) and Lowriders (AKA Showtek) Don’t Get Back. Zany jumped on the turntables next and, much to the delight of the fans, opened with his classics Pure and Sky High. He also treated the crowd to the 2008 In Qontrol anthem, Donkey Rollers Last City On Earth, and some of the biggest hardstyle tunes released in the last few months – Arise (Zany & Beholder Remix), The Beholder Meets Zany Euphoria, Technoboy Rage, and Zany & DV8 Distorted.

It has been years, three actually, since I last saw the queen of hardstyle DJ Dana. Her style has always been unique, often flavoured with a tech edge, and this was particularly apparent in the last section of her Q-Dance set. She opened with Josh & Wesz Tempo Pusher and thumped out well-known tracks FTS and Forever As One. I’d taken a well earned rest during the latter half of her set, but was on my feet again for Scantraxx Don, The Prophet. He gave those assembled no choice but to keep dancing courtesy of huge hits like Nasty Boyz Angel, Frontliner Tuuduu, SMD Just Like You and several Scope DJ tunes – Lockdown, Rock Hypnotic and Twilight. And in true The Prophet style, the set was capped off with some hardcore, Killing Scum and Hardcore Vibes spring to mind, ensuring every fan was truly sated come 6am.

There is an endless stream of superlatives I could use to describe this evening: sensational, extraordinary, brilliant, EPIC. It was everything I had hoped, and so much more. I wait in hope for an official video or liveset release but, even more so, for the news that Q-Dance will return to our shores. Dear Q-Dance, Australia loves you, please come back!