Easter Thursday saw the return of Bexta to Perth. As Australia’s original leading lady of hard dance it had been a couple of years since I last had the opportunity to catch Bexta behind the decks, so I was keen to go and see what sort of style she was bringing to the clubs these days. The night was starting early and finishing early due to Good Friday, with Bexta playing the final set for the night from 1-3am.

Arriving a bit before midnight I was greeted by the friendly Rise staff and proceeded upstairs to Perth’s premiere harder-edged dance club. Bexta has long been a favourite in Perth and there was a fair gathering of fans out to see her tonight. Steve Tranzor was warming up and doing a good job of it, not going too hard to burn up the floor, but keeping it just hot enough so the punters remained interested. The sound system at Rise is set up in such a way that the best position to be is the middle of the floor, so if you really enjoy your music this is the prime place to be. I have also noticed over many nights spent there that the headlining act always seems to be able to push the volume level that one notch higher, and tonight was no exception.

Bexta took over and started to rock the place with some techy-trance treats. The basslines were thundering along, and Bexta had her trademark ever-present smile happening. The floor and podiums began to fill with frenetic dancing energy, a direct result of the tasty tunes Bexta was laying down for us. The vibe around was awesome! After the techy start Bexta shifted the style more towards hard trance, with a bomb track and personal fav of mine ‘Joy Energiser’ by Joy Kitikonti. Another blast from the past and tune I will never tire of, ‘Tricky Tricky’ made the place erupt and show appreciation. Further along in the set Bexta played a great tune that I’ve heard out a couple of times but do not know the name of; “What’s that coming over the hill, is it a monster, a monster”. It was followed by a crowd pleasing – and new – version of The Prodigy’s ‘No Good’. Next was another proven club classic, and again in a different form, the Marcel Woods ‘Advanced’ remix proving a welcome addition to the mad mix Bexta was serving to the Rise faithful.

Home time was drawing near, and Bexta decided to part company with some hardstyle. This made me and many of my friends very happy indeed! Showtek’s recent hit ‘Hold Us Back’ was seemingly the end, but with a little persuasion from the crowd for one more Bexta unleashed Technoboy’s massive tune ‘Oh My God’. What a great way to end the night, and an even better way to start the long weekend. Bexta deserves to be commended for her longevity and versatility in the scene, and with performances like this I am predicting the Queen of Australia’s Hard Dance shall retain her crown for quite some time.