The long-running Utopia ventured back to the Acer Arena for the first time since 2004 for a special Homegrown edition. The buildup to the event was second to none, with message boards across all dance websites filled with punters counting down the days. Trains were full of excited ravers sucking on lollipops and practicing their dance moves for the night ahead.

Arriving to a line at the main door which would have stretched a couple of hundred metres, you could feel the excitement in the air as people slowly moved closer to the entry. I was lucky enough to be able to detour the main entrance and go around the back entrance behind the stage. Amusement rides were in operation to the public for free, so plenty of people were taking advantage of this and taking a spin on some cool rides.

I was eventually inside by about 10:45pm and Queensland DJ S3RL was controlling the main room, keeping the vibe in the room upbeat with a selection of his favourite happy hardcore tunes. Three big screens were situated behind the DJ booth, which beamed awesome visuals to the ever-growing crowd in the main room. The room was an amphitheatre of colour and pounding hard bass that typified the Utopia style of events.

Still early and with the best part of the night still ahead of me, I decided to check out the other three rooms. The Masif hard dance crew had a whole area of the Acer Arena to themselves, and this room was decked out in the usual Masif props we’ve become accustomed to at their events. Arbor was delivering some hard trance that the crowd was bouncing around to. A great size room that was neither too big or too small, giving the crowd ample space to dance around. The sound was crystal clear and every element of the music being mixed came out of the massive speakers perfectly. From the synths, to the bassline, to the scratching – it all sounded great. Meanwhile, the happy hardcore room was full of fleuro glow sticks and the music policy was strictly gabber. The hardest beats on the planet.

Jumping Jack was in the ‘history of rave music’ room, which had cut out smiley faces scattered all round the surrounds. This room was where the 18+ crowd were able to indulge in their favourite alcoholic beverages. Some of the greatest old school rave songs were played in this room including the anthem Anhilarating Rhythm. Back in the main room, Steve Hill was bopping up and down while performing to the big crowd. He played a version of Sweet Dreams which I’ve never heard of before, followed by Zombie Nation. Great selection of hard dance tracks which were warming the crowd up for the party to come.

Probably the only downfall to the night was having to lineup in the over 18s room every time you wanted to rehydrate with a beer or rum. While waiting in the line I heard one of my favourite tracks from the past which DJ Fenix was hammering the main room with, The Theme by Jurgenmizer. Curses! Later on the main room was going insane to Pee Wee Ferris playing his set while fireworks and flames were exploding around the room the crowd roared in appreciation as they could feel the energy in the room soaring. People threw their hands in the air as he mixed in Breeze & Styles You’re My Angel, with people singing the lyrics to the track to their girlfriends and boyfriends, a wonderful track for couples.

Later in the night Hellraiser played some acid trance, warped out sounds with a harder edge to it to keep the night going right till DJ Suae took the night out with his banging happy hardcore anthems. A brilliant set to conclude the night! The laser show in the mainroom, as well as other nice touches throughout the night including the big dragon which went through the crowd and the ropedancers, made for a memorable night which I’m sure will remain in many a raver’s memory. Well done Powerhouse, can’t wait till the next one.