With the smell of Parklife wafting through the air, for some eager party-goers, the festival season had already begun. With a quick energy drink or two under their belt, Gold Coast’s own Platinum Nightclub could not hold back the masses as electro upstart Congorock rocked the decks… literally.

Walking around the recently crowned ‘Favourite Club of Queensland‘ and usual crowd-pulling venue, it was clear that only the determined were out in force this evening. That being said, with a national festival taking place only 45-minutes up the road just a few hours away, this was unsurprising. But never fear, the club’s attendance was still significantly higher than any adjacent venues in Broadbeach on the evening. It was as if the Coast had packed shop and moved – that, or the final of the X Factor was too thrilling to miss.

Kicking off the night, resident DJs Joey Mojo and Craig Roberts stirred the dance floor early on. With their fingers dipped deep into a new and exciting mix of local and international dance, both Mojo and Roberts proved more than your stock-standard house DJs. Easily warming the crowd up, the two locals again proved just why they deserve their residency spots night after night at Platinum.

As Congorock slowly made his way to the decks, liberally handing out high-fives en route, murmurs of which tropical/hard house track he would drop first quickly filled the room. Finally jumping behind the decks, the biggest thing to come out of Italy since pizza appeared ready for battle.

Playing the definition of a festival set – one able to make the entire crowd lose their mind – one can’t help but wonder why bass-friendly Congorock was not on the Parklife line-up. Perhaps, he would simply be more than the sound system could handle.

Dropping a catalogue of big names like The Prodigy, Avicii, Martin Solveig, MSTRKRFT, Roger Sanchez and Mr. Oizo, Congorock still somehow found time to feature a fair share of local talent. However, it was standout remixes of hits by the Swedish House Mafia and Babylon that saw the dance floor reach it’s most energised peaks.

Though for someone with as much talent as Congorock, the club should have been wall-to-wall packed. Unfortunately, Friday was just not the night. Maybe Parklife going ahead the next morning was to blame, or perhaps unpredictable university timetables, or even workplaces that operate on Saturday. Whatever the reason, missing Congorock in action should be a solemn regret for all responsible. Just don’t make the same mistake next time.