As you all know, a few years ago Helter Skelter was the number one rave promoter around. Their events were always rammed, the production was wicked, and the whole venue was always one big mass of smiley happy people. Helter Skelter decided to finish on Millennium Eve but luckily for us they didn't stick to that decision, taking 14 months off before returning in February. Helter Skelter has now split up though into a drum and bass event at the Sanctuary with Club Sidewinder, and a hardcore event at Bowlers, Manchester with Compulsion. This event was the drum and bass one, and was the second one they had put on. I arrived at the venue at about 10:30 pm to see a smallish queue by Sanctuary standards outside. That didn't affect me though because I had a credit card booking so I pretty much walked straight in. The security guard at the door was actually chatting and being friendly, which is generally quite unusual for Sanctuary Security. I went in after a reasonably thorough search and checked out the complex. In the past Helter Skelter was always renowned for it's funfair and all the things it crammed into the outdoor complex, and this event was no different. They had a huge twisting wheel fairground ride which was completely free, and was so wicked that I had to go on it twice. They also had the dodgems, an amusement arcade, the usual merchandise stall, and a chillout tent which was showing movies on a projection screen. I headed into the Sanctuary warehouse and was very pleased with what I saw. The production in the sanctuary was amazing and the whole thing was just pure Helter Skelter. The entire Sanctuary floor was carpetted (which I've never seen done before), and this meant that it didn't get slippy and dirty like it usually tends to. There were big red drapes hanging from the ceiling and a big glitter ball in the centre of the arena. Club Sidewinder logos covered in glitter were hanging from the drapes, and there were about two or three huge green lasers spraying the whole arena with green light. Most impressive of all though was the stage. It had a big triangular steel structure on which were loads of strobe lights (I counted about seven big ones), and then around the DJ booth was a big steel ring. The stage was big and had two little bits that came out at the front, where the MC's tended to stand. In true Helter Skelter stylee they had stage dancers who looked luscious, could dance really well, and at one point did their own "floor show" for everyone. :) There was a projection screen at the side of the arena where they were showing visuals and displaying which DJ was on (good idea eh Slammin?). The stage was located at the back wall of the arena, which I think always makes the Sanctuary seem bigger. I went upstairs and I'm not exactly sure how, but the upstairs room has definitely been made bigger. It seemed like they had extended a wall or removed a partition, because there was a lot more room to dance than there used to be. I went into the upstairs room a few times during the night and the music there was usually faster and harder than it was downstairs. First set that I saw in the main arena was Ray Keith. He played a few anthems, and played his set at a steadier speed. Next up was Andy C, my current favourite. The main reason that I like him is because he plays it very fast, and this night was no different. He played some great D&B, and finished off with a wicked new tune that is really different and ground breaking. After Andy C came Hype who as usual just played solid anthems. He dropped in tunes like "Ready or not" and the lighter tune amongst others. He was mixing on three decks and he was constantly dropping in bits of tunes, which I was impressed by. The main event of the night was Roni Size with MC Dynamite, and these were on next. They played what I thought was the set of the night, starting off with loads of newer stuff that I hadn't heard before. Halfway through they dropped in a few classics like "31 seconds" but then they went back to the new stuff. I think that Randall was on after this but I went for a wander at this point. I went to the chillout tent and sat watching "Rush Hour" with Jackie Chan for about an hour. It is definitely good that skelter provide things like this for those who want a breather from the music. After Randall came Nicky Blackmarket who played a classic drum and bass set. Next up was Mickey Finn who did a fairly good set that wasn't too slow. The last set was Kenny Ken with MC MC, and they came on at about 4:45. Unfortunately my mate is a lightweight and we had to leave at 4:50, even though I was still raring to go at that point. :( After going to this event, I can only draw the conclusion that Helter Skelter are on their way back to the big time. The one thing that made this night more than anything was the production, in which Helter Skelter stand head and shoulders above anyone else. The music was all good, and the crowd were really friendly for a drum and bass event. Normally at drum and bass events you tend to get at least a few rudeboys or dickheads, but everyone here was just up for the music, and I didn't see any trouble all night. I guess that must be the Helter Skelter effect. :) The next hardcore Helter Skelter event is on May 26th at Bowlers but sadly I can't make that. However I would definitely advise you lot to, because Helter Skelter were the best and they are on their way to being the best again. If they can keep putting on quality events again then the next year or so in the rave scene is going to be extremely interesting. Come on! Shouts go out to Marcus (Time), Stu, Jonathon and Beckiboo.
