The best thing about smaller nights is that they're more regular than big events, and give you many more chances for a good night out. This was the night after my last exam of the year at uni, and so I was in the mood for a banging night. I got there at just after 10:00 and I was surprised to see a queue outside. Normally at that time there is no queue and I walk straight into the club. Someone in the queue said that they had all been waiting there since 9:00, even though the club is supposed to open at 9:00. There was no need for this, but it was just one of those irritating things that clubs tend to do from time to time. The searches seemed a lot more thorough than usual, although I prefer this because it deters dickheads from coming to raves. As I walked in I saw that the cloakroom booth was closed off. I asked a security guard a bit later on if it was going to be like that all night and he said yes. That meant I had to spend all night with my coat tied around my waist, which slowed me down a bit when I was dancing. Like the late opening there didn't seem to be any good reason why the cloakroom was not open. I hope that this is sorted out for next time. The first set was Revolution resident Spinner who played a good bouncy hardcore set. He dropped in plenty of newer Evolution tunes like the new "Now is the Time" and "Here's Johnny" remixes, and "Love me too". His set had a happy feel to it but he showed that happy hardcore doesn't automatically have to mean vocal hardcore. Next up at 11:00 was Majestik, who I hadn't seen play for a while before this. He used to be good before but I was impressed with how much he has come on since I last saw him play. He started off with some banging hard NRG tunes before moving onto some freeform. He dropped in the unbelievable "Evil Returns" on Nu Energy (the next big freeform anthem) and also played two completely new tunes at the end. These were Sheffield lad UHF's debut freeform effort called "Animal", and Majestik's very own "Eve of the war". All in all it was an impressive set, and if you ever want to see a real quality up and coming DJ then you should definitely check him out. At midnight came resident DJ and promoter Topgroove. He played a decent hard trance set and dropped in a sped up version of Binary Finary's "1999". The only criticism I've got of Topgroove though is that even though he plays good tunes, his sets do tend to be quite similar. There is loads of good hard trance around, and I'd like to see him play a few different tunes next time. The main guest on the night was the crazy Mark EG and he was on next. As soon as he came into the club he was surrounded by people wanting to shake his hand and pose for photos with him, showing why he is one of the most popular DJ's in the hardcore scene. He played a banging hard trance set which I thought was the set of the night, although he didn't seem quite as energetic behind the decks as he usually is. The last set was DJ Sharkey, who also did a bit of MC'ing to the end of Mark EG's set. It made me laugh that when he came in he ran onto the stage and started jumping around to hype the crowd up, and then a security guard tried to throw him off the stage because he thought Sharkey was just an average raver who had got on. :) Sharkey's set was mainly newer tunes like "Visions of Infinity", "Turn the heat up" and "Evil Returns", although he dropped a few older tunes like "The Awakening" at the end. It was nice and hard as freeform usually is, and I had a good stomp to it. :) Music wise I thought this was the best Revolution I've been to in a while. Mark EG should definitely be booked more often, and Majestik showed that he has the talent to break through into the big league. As usual the crowd were well friendly, and everyone was up for the music. The late opening time and absence of a cloakroom were mildly annoying, but I'd forgotten about these as the night went on. On Saturday June 9th a new night called Bedlam comes to Sheffield. It's at the Mulberry Pub in Sheffield city centre and they've booked Majestik and Topgroove to play alongside the promoters and resident DJs UHF and Jubei. If you're in the Yorkshire area then check it out as it should be a good night. The next Revolution is a joint event with Compulsion, and is at the Adelphi in Sheffield, as normal. Playing there are Dodgee and Wotsee, Demand and Scott Brown b2b, and Stu Allan, along with MC Storm. See you all there. :) Shouts go out to Lee UHF, Martin Space, Mick Moss, Kleiny and Tracy, Steph and Scott Majestik.
