The first thing that struck me as I walked into the Arena on Friday was definitely the atmosphere that was pumping throughout the venue. Already packed, the main room was full of punters, most of whom seemed to be going hard early. Although the Arena can look a worn at times, the tribal decorations had done the trick and it had the place looking pretty impressive.



Catching up with other ITMers, I heard tales of Sasha taking control of the decks earlier in the night, as well as rumours of police raids later on. This combined with the appearance of a large number of hardcore gurners, made for a seedy, intense and underground vibe….it was absolutely marvelous.



The first act I was able to properly check out was Phil K Vs Nubreed, who arrived and let fly with their dark, driving and bass-heavy sound (or was it just the sound system?). They had the crowd going off early in the night and I couldn’t help but think that if it was that good, then come 1am when Sasha took over, the place would be a madhouse.



Wandering about, I took the opportunity to catch the second half of Superfluid up on level three, who had the place rocking. As they came to the end of their performance, the room was about 70% full and everyone was really getting into it. These guys are even hotter than the Arena was on Friday night and with the reaction they have been getting recently it wont be long before they start to take more a more prominent spot on the bill of major festivals. Nice work guys!



When Jon G then took to the decks he let rip with some chunky breaks with the odd bit of scratching. However after Superfluid’s set, the crowd seemed to thin a bit, as punters took the opportunity to rest or check out some other options – Superfluid were definitely a hard act to follow.



In the early hours the other rooms always presented quality options with highlights for me being the tech that flowed forth from the Nuskool room for much of the time leading up to midnight. The Jungle Cave was one that for me presented a good opportunity to chill out and relax, as I gave up trying to dance to drum and bass years ago.



Back in the main room, Nubreed and Phil K turned down the intensity a bit towards the end as they prepared the crowd for Peter Mogg, who in turn was faced with the daunting task of preparing the crowd for Sasha – but it was a challenge that Peter Mogg was more than capable of overcoming. When Sasha eventually took to the decks punters flooded in from the other rooms and prepared, for what could be, a musical experience of a lifetime.



Of course the anticipation surrounding Sasha’s appearance was always going to be at maximum levels. For me personally, hearing him meant I could tick off another DJ that stood high on my “must see” list. I’d seen Digweed not that long ago and I was convinced that this epic event would make my musical world balanced in a weird yin-yang sorta way – talk about hyping it up, but I don’t think I was the only one.



Starting off with an absolute stormer, Sasha let rip with some bass sounds that tickled the internal organs of many. Those on the mezzanine level on the entrance side in particular were probably experiencing a sensation very close to what you would get from the infamous brown note. Over the course of the night the sound system was loud, full and roaring at times.



The earlier part of Sasha’s set was relatively light and cruisey and was certainly not littered with prog anthems that would be guaranteed to announce his greatness. Much like Airdrawndagger, this experience would be one that would take some time to appreciate.



After observing some faces in the crowd I suspected that they were left wondering “why is this guy supposed to be so good?”, because Sasha wasn’t delivering instant gratification in a musical sense. Instead, Sasha’s sound was patient, steady and professional.



In the last hour or so though, he really turned things up a notch, slipping in a bit of Dinosaur Adventure 3D by Underworld and the one track that stood out above all others – that remix of Fischerspooner’s “Emerge”. The crowd went mental!



Despite Sasha’s strong finish, it was interesting to note that the crowd was noticeably thinner than it was at about the 1am mark. I suspect many punters had timed their run early and so they were running out of steam come 4am. You had to pity Nick Ho, who then started in the main room, only to see many on the dance floor heading for the exits or the chill area outside. Despite this, he stepped up the pace and kept a good sized crowd going until close.



Looking back, Advent*jah night 1 will go down as easily one of the best events I have ever been to at the Arena. As someone who was getting tired of this tired old venue, it was great to see some life put back into the place.



Sasha’s set was great, but perhaps not quite as great as I had expected, however I attribute that to how I had hyped it up in my own mind beforehand. In retrospect, perhaps I was let down at not seeing a halo above the man’s head – I don’t know, but his set was still up there with the best.



What was truly awesome as well was the absolutely rocking vibe, the ‘intense as fuck’ sound and the sheer diversity of music on offer – be it from local guys like Superfluid, talented southerners like Phil K and Nubreed or of course the larger than life man himself – Sasha.



...and to think, summer has only just begun.