On a wet and cold night the prospects for a huge night just sink and sink. Quite why the rain outside should effect people going to an indoors party is a bit of a mystery to me but then I’m from a land where cold and rain are ubiquitous and it’s simply expected that you’ll dry out on the dance floor.

Sole Food is a new night, brought to you by musical clique Foreign Dub who’s new website shows quite how far their influence spreads with artists, releases, nights and promotion all coming out under this moniker dedicated to the more underground sounds.

This night, it must be said, was always a bit beset by problems, not least the withdrawal of headline act DJ Marky who stayed in Brazil for legal reasons. In his stead, ForeignDub lined up the likes of Spikey Tee, Alf & Ritual (Rollers Music), ViceVersa and Lucian, for what seemed like a belly full of drum n bass. Alas, it didn’t quite happen. Part of the problem is simply that the Glasshouse is MASSIVE. The sprawling, compartmentalised venue with its deep dance floor, games room, pool tables seemed sparse and cold without the throngs of dancing bodies you’d have hoped. Also, early on the sound was vibrating off the walls and angles terribly, although thankfully this was fixed up before it became ear-aching. In sporadic waves, with no obvious rhyme nor reason, a score or more of people would rush to the dance floor before exiting again en masse, leaving the half dozen or so dedicated groovers to struggle on alone.

The atmosphere definitely changed when Spikey Tee hit the stage with his rich, soulful, energetic peals rallying the crowd. Throw in a spot of scratching, some funky tune-age and the sudden excitement of the crowd in to a leg waving, foot tapping, genuflecting mass of scores and things were certainly hitting the right note, even if Big Game Hunter competitions and the urge to smoke were keeping the attendees split.

This was only the first Sole Food night and I do hope it won’t be the last. The idea of DnB, without a superstar name, filling up a joint the size of the Glasshouse is, sadly, almost unimaginable and it’s not a place encouraging intimacy for a small crew like Hermanns or even the Laundry. But these guys definitely put on a decent show and shrift and I can’t help but thinking that on a crisp, dry night this could really have been kicking off. So props to ForeignDub and Spikey Tee and I’ll be rolling up to the next Sole Food, hopefully with more company.