This was Revolution's opening night of the year and also their first time in a brand new venue. I've heard so many good things about the Revolution nights so I went to check it out. I got to the Area 51 club half an hour before it opened and there was already a big queue outside which is always a good sign. The policy of Revolution is not to reveal any of the DJs playing on the night until you get inside, which I think is a good idea because it means people always come for the music and for the night and not just to see specific DJs. The Area 51 club is a nice place with about 600-700 capacity. It has one big dancefloor which had a booming sound system and anyone who was in the middle of the dancefloor will tell you how loud that bassline was !!! There were seats around the outside of the dancefloor for people to chill out if they needed to. When I got inside after a swift search by the security the dancefloor was already half full and the place was rapidly filling up. The first DJ on the decks was Topgroove who played quite a trancey set but it was very banging and gradually pulled more and more people onto the dancefloor. DJ Sarge followed on next and played a good set. A nice mixture of freeform and happy had the packed dancefloor going mad. Sarge's mixing was sometimes a bit rough around the edges but his tune selection, which included plenty of Evolution tuneage was wicked. I was also impressed with the MCs on the night as well. No big name MCs, just the resident Revolution MCs, which made a nice change. They all had good lyrics and knew exactly where and when to open their mouths. It was strange because none of the MCs had a set time to perform, they all stood around the mic in a big group and passed around the mic whenever they felt like having a turn. CJ Glover was next on the wheels of steel and played a banging techno/trance set, which had the packed dancefloor going mad. The crowd were really friendly as well, plenty of handshakes, crazy wafflings and cheesy grins all around the dancefloor, true hardcore style :) DJ Energy stepped up next and played a wicked freeform set, showcasing plenty of tunes from his Nu Energy label. The dancefloor was fully heaving and Energy had them under his complete control banging out the beats. Energy is one DJ who gets my full respect, for someone of such a young age (only 21), he's achieved so much within the scene. The atmosphere inside was excellent, everyone was really up for it on the dancefloor and there were plenty of people with whistles and horns making plenty of noise. A merchandise stall would have been a welcome addition though, so all the ravers could have got their hands on whistles, horns, glowsticks etc and made the atmosphere even better. Brisk was on next and played his usual banging bouncy style combined with a bit of happy. Playing tunes like 'Set me Free' and 'Eye Opener' had everyone stomping mad. The last set of the night was Paul-O who played the set of the night in my opinion. Mixing a bit of everything into his set, happy, trance and techno all blended nicely together. The dancefloor was full right up until the end, everyone enjoying the wicked music and a nice way to round of the night. Eventhough I prefer more of the traditional sounding hardcore as opposed to the trancey sound, which is quite prominent on the night, I still really appreciated the music. It was banging all the way and opened my mind up to the different sounds of hardcore and not to mention the atmosphere of the crowd was blinding as well. Even the guy I went with, who is self confessed cheeser and worships DJ Vibes, was stomping mad on the dancefloor all night long and loved it just as much as everybody else. Overall it was a wicked night. Its nights like Revolution which keep our scene going and judging by the amount of support they have, they seem to be doing a very good job of it. If you fancy a change from hearing the same old Slipmatt, Vibes, Dougal etc lineup and want to support a night which are run by people who genuinely care about the hardcore scene, then get yourselves to Revolution for a banging night out. Big Shouts to: Chedda, Scott Majestik, Spinner, Jony Regae (yes mate I did waffle to you without realising who you were !!), Bug and KRS Over and Out
