The True Jungle Souljahs hosted their last gig last Friday night with Summer Slam at The Holy Grail in Civic. The headliners were two of the UK’s leading drum n’ bass DJs the Brookes Brothers and Danny Byrd who put on an awesome show, supported by our highly capable local DJs.
TJS was noble enough to make Summer Slam an all ages gig, restricting the over 18’s to the upper level until midnight when the littlies got the boot. Sadly, due to the youth of today’s sheltered musical upbringing and complete lack of musical education, only one under age punter was present. Honestly, the kids missed out on one hell of a night which would have rocked their world and turned them away from the constant mainstream pop and rock of 104.7. Really, what is wrong with the youth of today? What can the future hold with these humans coming up through the ranks? Any way, enough of my present disgust at the lack of under 18s and back to the night – which those of us who are musically advanced and aware attended.
Local artists Bowl and Scissors began the night with dubstep to a small crowd that was isolated to upstairs. The sound system was awesome; creating clean, clear and thumping sound waves through out the club (hats off to the sound guy). I had actually forgotten how cool a club the Grail is. I must admit the last time I was there I was as one of those mindless teens at an underage event full of top 40 tunes (don’t judge me!). The club had massive potential on the night with a huge bar and dance floor. However, due to the lack of teens below the bottom and main bar stayed covered in black plastic. That is till the big kids were allowed to play and the vast array of liquor was revealed at midnight.
Rookie One vs. Typhonic (AKA James Rooke vs. Ben Redzic) played next with some smooth reggae DnB that people chilled to upstairs and I sipped my Corona and lime. These boys kept all entertained by mixing in some pop and scratching too. You could tell by the end of their set people wanted to be on the main dance floor, but thanks to liquor licensing and their silly rules it was no deal till midnight, regardless of the lack of under agers. DJ Dred vs. DJC (AKA Julian Harrison vs. Amanda) ripped up the place with dance floor style DnB. There was some awesome chemistry between these two on stage not to mention it is awesome to see a girl dominating the decks.
Ol Skool Al drastically changed the mood with his mix of hip hop and funk that made my head turn. He begun his set with a wicked, though slightly creepy circus type tune that caught every ones’ attention. Up stairs was certainly filling by this stage and every one wanted to be closer to the action.
Set times changed at this point in order to stall the Brookes Brothers until the crowd could finally get to the lower level and in front of the DJ booth. Locals Karton & Escha (AKA Paul Beohm vs Alex Beddows) created an awesome and unrehearsed DnB set to fill the Bros spot, keeping the punters very happy. The stylings of these boys were totally different but somehow worked brilliantly together.
As soon as the clock struck twelve the main bar was unveiled and everybody flooded down the stairs as some serious dancing took hold. When the Brookes Brothers finally hit the decks I discovered only one was present. Phil had stayed in London, leaving Dan the role of first DJ of the night to play to a vibing dance floor. You could tell we had all been aching to leave the tables and couches above and show off some skills. Dan lowered the DnB tempo a little compared to some of the harder rollers of the night. Even without Phil, Dan was more than capable and only the smokers outside were seated.
Before Danny Byrd came on the True Jungle Souljahs were honoured and their contributions to the local dance scene were appreciated by all, a very nice touch indeed. Danny Byrd came all the way from Bath in the UK to play to the Canberra audience… Well he may be playing a few more shows around Australia, but my Canberra pride is coming through here. Danny continued playing in softer style that still had every one’s feet moving. You could tell that this was one DJ that loved his work and was genuinely happy to be there. Danny showed some impressive mixing skills that proved his reputation was well deserved. Dub step is one type of music that is near impossible to accurately describe in words, so I recommend you check out the both of them.
To close out the night and keep the most dedicated punters going till dawn Buick vs. Twisted System followed by Skully vs. Centaspike took the decks. These local acts are always great but I sadly bailed, my feet were aching after the infectious and hectic DnB dancing and I was one of those suckers that had to work the next day… damn money making the world go ‘round and all the rest.
The underages truly missed out on what was an awesome night, but those that did attend were stoked with the performances. The Brookes Brothers and Danny Byrd are more than welcome back here any time and we are privileged to have the others as locals. Ben and Eska (the master minds behind True Jungle Souljahs) will be sorely missed in Canberra as Sydney lures them away from the ACT. All who have been to one of their shows can be naught but grateful for their time and dedication to the Canberra jungle drum n’ bass scene. On behalf of Canberrans, thanks for the memories guys and best of luck.
Eska says...
That just brought a tear to my eye... :D