New promotions have a tough job on thier hands. Mostly because they have to establish a music policy as well as attracting a following at the same time. True Hardcore, now in its third promotion, has chosen one of the more difficult paths on its way to ratify its music policy. Despite never having a 6am finish in its history, the lineups at every event the promoters have put on consistantly go head to head with much bigger events in terms of "Names" on the flyer. Probably the best comparison I can make is the night being a carbon copy of Slammin Vinyl with a 4am kick out time. Only the Biggest and the best get on the lineup and as such, Hixxy, Sy, Dougal, Brisk, Seduction, Breeze and Styles were all present and correct. Not only that, the MC lineup was of the same high quality with Storm, Whizzkid, Odyssey, Smiley and Rude making sure the lyrical aspect of the rave did not go wanting. If that weren't enough, the party had also decided to and move on us! Previous pormotions had all been held at Club Mist in Wisbech, however this one had relocated to Flicks nightclub in Sleaford, another sattelite town of Peterborough. My reasons for attending? Well, the previous evening exertations had pushed the envelope, it was time to get back to the mainstream and love it for what it is. Oh and with me being a complete star wars freak and this party being named "Core Wars" and all artists being renamed on the flyer to the star wars character that suited their personality the best (Smile-E-Wok, Love it!), The chance to take my lightsabre to a rave was just too good to pass up. After a hassle free journey up to the venue, Sleaford hoved into view at about 10pm and after parking nearby, we made our way to the venue. The promoters were outside and after a friendly hello we were shepherded inside and not even searched before we were let in. Once inside the top floor of the venue was clearly meant to be part of the rest of the club downstairs, but on this occasion we were limited to the main room. This had the advantage of being very big with a low arched ceiling. At one end was a bar and merchandise stand, the other was home to the main stage, and the sides were given over to seating areas. Of course, I weren't going to use the latter feature, I was there to dance to the music, pure and simple. First up was the beginning of a showcase of every major label in the scene, with Essential Platinum being first and Dougal, Gammer and Smiley taking centre stage. Kicking of my evening, the boys from EP went for it just the right way to ensure a progression in the music was acheived as the night wore on. Mainstream and uplifting was what was needed, and the DJs and MC came up with the goods, dropping "Slide away", "The Theme", "Through the Darkness" and a nice remix of "Crazy Love", together with a nice tangent into the freeform sound with "Adagio". Next up was Breeze and Styles for the first of a double pronged attack by Raverbaby. Hixxy would come later, but the duo on the decks, fresh from Chart success, were more than capable of delivering the first pre-emptive strike. Like a Death Star attack on Alderan, The Raverbaby crew used all its might to deliver a killer punch to the dancefloor. Whizzkid was by their side all the way proving he is as versitile with the upfront sound as he is with any other. It was the DJs on the decks that were doing the real damage though. Playing "Feel so real", "Electrik", "The Theme", "More than life" and "Getting better" within the rest of their set, Styles and Breeze got the crew ready for the party and this was evident in the exponential increase in the amount of dancing ravers from the start to the finish of their set. Finally when they had done all they could, they played their ace in the form of the tune which had charted at #16 that very week "Heartbeatz". Next up was a DJ I hadn't seen for a while. DJ Seduction with Odyssey on the mic. Plumping for a tune selection happier than an post victory party in the Ewok tree village , Sedders and Odyssey knew exactly what their audience had come to the party for and made sure they delivered as well. Best of all, it was a set full of surprises too, with another welcome appearence of the tune which repeats the vocals "make some noise for Hardcore" over and over, as well as the most euphoric "kick your legs in the air" and "Fly away". After that, Sedders moved closer to the bouncy sound, with "Let the Bass Drum Roll", "D.E.V.I.L", the remix of "Edge 1" and finally finishing on "Crazy love". Throughout all this, Odyssey, more commonly seen on the mic during a freeform set, made sure everyone knew exactly how versatile he was by keeping the crowd hyped and making sure all the latecomers streaming through the door knew exactly why they had come along. In a change from the usual plan, Gammer and Lee UHF, two DJs who had already played a set this evening, made a welcome return to the decks. Hixxy was unable to attend due to illness, so these two got another crack to prove what they were capable of, given a peak time set. During their hour, the DJ's crammed in more surprises than a 2 foot green midget levitating an Xwing out of a swamp. I have never seen these two pair off before so it was safe to say I was interested in what they could come up with. Concious the party crew were there to listen to upfont, Gammer and UHF made sure the bulk of their tunes were in the mainstream, with "I adore", "Just be happy", "Heartbeatz" and "Getting better", but also plumping for tunes that the listed Dj might not have gone for, including "Suck My Dick", "Hardcore Hustler" and "you are the reason" within the mix. As well as this, although the majority of the mic time was in the expert hands of a certain MC Whizzkid, he also magnanamously made sure the mic found its way into the hands of someone who deserved a shot at the peaktime as much as the DJs. MC Chit Chat was loving it as much as Jabba the Hutt loves feeding his Rancor monster when he was on the mic. He got a good proportion of the set to himself to prove to the ravers that he has what he takes. He definitely showed he was capable of effortlessly hyping the crowd as he worked his lyrics, yet kept it down when it was warranted. Chit chat might not have been on the flyer, but he most certainally belonged on stage during that set. After the headstrong had finished with the partycrew, it was the turn of another label showcase in the form of Brisk representing Next Generation, along with MC Rude on the mic. Going faster than the Millenium Falcon as it enters hyperspace, Brisk proved he's "Got it where it counts" and provided the ravers with one of the more danceable sets of the night. Playing a varied selection, with a slight leaning toward his labels tunes (but with no complaints from me at all) Brisk kept the rave dancing as he worked through his hour and got the party crew (and me) to work up the first proper sweat of the night. As with previous sets of his Brisk started off with the more vocal tunes such as "Bring me a higher love" and "Just be happy", before gradually increasing the pace with tunes like "Crazy Love" and "Angel Eyes" before giving the party its singular taste of Gabba with "This is my style, fuck your style". Throughout, Rude was bang on it on the mic, making sure the ravers knew who was in front of them and providing the lyrics, especially when he dropped "C'mon kick it" during "Just be happy", even if certain MC's took it a little too literally! For the final set of the night it was Only right that Sy and Storm finished things off. Bouncier than a collection of Jawas after they have just subdued R2D2 and with more energy than the Deathstar's reactor core, Sy was in his element, especially when he was joined by MC Storm on the mic. More elusive than Darth Vader trying to land a shot on Ben Kenobi, Storm had stayed off the mic for the majority of the evening, but this last set was all his and it was obivious he had missed doing what he loves and was determined to enjoy himself for the final hour. Good job the ravers and the DJ had the same intention then! It was one of those special moments when everyone in the area was happy to be doing what they were doing. Sy handled the tunes like Anakin Skywalker handles his Pod Racer, Storm attacked the mic with more aggression than the rebel attack on the Death Star and the Ravers got on it with more enthusiasm than Luke and Princess Leia may or may not have done Non stop bouncy euphoric tunes were just what the rave wanted to end the evening on a high note. Throughout his set, Sy kept to what he is best at, only the most entertaining tunes which made the ravers dance harder as each one came in. "Only your love", "Makin me wanna dance", "Only your love", as well as the remixes of "Eyeopener", "D.E.V.I.L" and "Free your mind" were all highlights, as was the part where Storm delivered "Hardcore Fantasy" during the remix of "Take me away", but it was the final tune, the remix of "Pacific Sun" which really set the seal on a classic power hour with which to finish off the rave. Things I liked: Venue - These days, its not often that I get yo experience a totally new venue. Flicks fitted the bill and was a nice change from going to the same place AGAIN. A lightly arched ceiling complete with numerous galaxies and constellations hand painted on it made for a nice place to party. Music - Nothing but the best DJs meant a similar high quality musical content. No Chinstroking here, the people on the flyer had been booked to make the ravers dance and thats exactly what they did. Decor - As before, the night was well branded with big "TH" logos, but as well as that, there was the addition of big Stormtroopers (heh) that namechecked the artists. Production - only a 4am finish yet two big multicoloured lasers in the place as well as the fully plumbed in lighting rig was nice to see. Smoke machines were very "Enthusiastic" as well, like not being able to see my hand in front of my face! Ravers - This was the best part of the night for me. Every single raver in the place was the sort of person I wanted to party with. 100% dickhead free, with zero bother all night, I liked the party crew True Hardcore attracted. It was like a big house party now you mention it. Things I liked less: System - Weird one this. When I arrived, the first thing I thought was "yeah, nice system", unfortunately it didnt last as the sound peaked and troughed throughout the night. Eventually it was sorted out, but not for a few hours though. Difficulties - I know there were more than a few difficulties the promoters had to overcome in order to ensure the night went smoothly. I wont name specifics, but I will say its a credit to their determination that the party crew were unaware of any of the above problems. Despite everything that came up against them, the Hardcore kept coming and the ravers kept dancing. Respect. Lightsabre- Any idea how difficult it is to dance with one if these things stuffed in your trousers? Good fun to have with me, but believe me, never again! This was a cracking night out. Biggest names in the scene on the decks and mic, nice venue, never used before and none other than the friendliest and most up for it crowd I have scene for a long time. All of them are indicative of a good night out and all of them were at True Hardcore when it touched down for "'Core Wars". Well worth the 2 1/2 hour journey from London to attend, not to mention the speeding ticket I collected on the way home. There were a few niggles that threatened to bring down my night, but the promoters moved heaven and earth to make sure I had a good time and it showed. This was where True Hardcore really scored big. The Nucleus of every good event revolves around music and atmosphere. Core Wars had both in spadeloads. If you like the idea of the biggest names in the scene playing out at unusual venues and within a Houseparty atmpshere then I strongly suggest you get yourself to the next one.
