When I heard onelove was launching its new CD ‘Neon Nights’ I knew I had to be there. I got myself a copy of the CD and committed myself to a night out on the town to get over my “break-up blues” (but you don’t need to hear about that!) I hadn’t been to Tank before, so was curious to see what it was all about as I’d heard mixed reports.
As we arrived I was a little freaked out by the line, which seemed to stretch for miles. I saw one poor girl who looked like she had developed hypothermia, and she said they’d been waiting 45 minutes. It’s testament to onelove’s popularity! Once inside I was impressed by the venue, as it’s laid out well. I wanted to explore it all, and first went to the “uptop” section where Jace was playing. I only heard about 5 minutes of his set before I decided to make use of my VIP band and head out the back, downstairs…
Bobby Disco was playing and I enjoyed every last second of his set. There seemed to be a lot of Daft Punk played, but it was mixed incredibly well and it didn’t get old. Bobby Disco is only 20, but he has a great mature and unique style. He’s a bit indie, a bit electric, and a bit house, all rolled into a sound that is constantly changing and never boring. You find yourself constantly shouting (well I was) “Ohhhhhh, I love this one!”
At 12.30, Josh Flanagan took over the decks, but I had come to see TV Rock so I headed out to the mainroom. The atmosphere change was daunting. The room glowed blue, there were people pashing in corners, and the place was PACKED, what had I been missing out here? After adjusting, I settled into the vibe and began to listen to an outstanding set from Grant Smillie and Ivan Gough. The Melbourne boys did not disappoint. They’re each amazing individually, but when they combine they seem to feed off each other and can work a crowd into a frenzy in minutes. They wound the crowd up and showed why they were expertly selected to handle the new ‘Neon Nights’ CD. They’ve enjoyed great success in their career this far, but they’ve not gotten complacent, they still seem to give 110% each time they play. It shows in the crowd’s reactions, and I too danced solidly until 2am when John Glover took over.
By this stage I was exhausted and I decided to take a break and sit down. This gave me an opportunity to watch John at work. I have seen Glover play more times than I can count and I love watching the way he reads a crowd. He always manages to show his individual style, whilst making sure the crowd is eating it up. It’s this skill which I feel makes him such a popular DJ in so many different venues. He did not do it any different tonight, and he soon had me off my chair and dancing again.
By the time 3.30 rolled around, Mat Nugent was ready to start but I was done for the evening. I had not been out in the longest time, and sitting at home feeling sorry for myself had become my weekend “thing”. Tank and onelove drew a young crowd, and at times I felt a little out of place with all the young guys doing the “Melbourne shuffle” in zipped up hoodies… but this wasn’t a problem, as the venue and quality of DJs made it a perfect night. It reminds me why I used to spend every Sunday feeling like crap after an awesome Saturday night, but always ready to do it all over again the next weekend. And so the cycle begins!
