17th Apr - A.W.O.L Evolution - Saturday 4th April 2009
Having been to AWOL many times over the years, at Paradise Club, SW1 and Ministry of Sound. We were very excited about the prospect of a truly old skool jungle mash up to rave and remember the good old days of the original jungle sound.
The night of AWOL finally arrived and we at Ravescum made our way to Indigo2. It’s a real nice venue, if not a little out of the way. Having said that, it is only 4 stops from London Bridge on the Jubilee Line. As soon as we got off the train we were faced with 20,000 Lionel Richie fans leaving the main O2 arena. Moving on into the human traffic, ravescum fought our way through. Actually this was our first visit to the O2 Arena in general and we went inside for a little look around. It has been changed from what was essentially a waste of space into a sprawling arts and entertainment complex. Once you have made your way through the security on the main doors, there are a multitude of bars and restaurants to choose from, and of course the main o2 arena is a 20,000 capacity concert/event venue.
So how did AWOL perform?
We arrived pretty early at the ticket desks and skipped the already building queue. Indigo is accessed from outside of the o2 and if you have reserved tickets, you can collect them from a booth by the main entrance. We went through the usual search bumflufferies and we were in. It was only about 10.30pm and the place was pretty empty and had only been open for about half an hour, but with a line up including such heavyweights, there was going to be a big name playing from start to finish.
We got ourselves a drink and had a look around. Indigo2. Its new, its clean and above all it’s a safe place to rave. 2350 capacity with a separate chill out/VIP bar. A perfect size for an event like this. With a massive bar and plenty of bar staff it was never a problem to get served, plus they have this 7 second pouring system on their lager pumps, so that’s all you wait for a beer. Nice.They have added a smoking area within the confines of the club so you don’t have to keep going outside if you smoke.Immediatly you could tell the sound system was awesome and was going to be able to handle the old skool rinse out that was to come. The production was ok and minimal, just like the old days of the Paradise (except with a bit more lighting), which was basically just a dark room with some decks and that wicked eskimo sound system.
Musical highlights of the night had to be Mickey Finn with Fearless.With tunes such as special dedication - Dj Nut Nut (see below)
Fearless never fails to keep the crowd bubbling and was spitting some classics lyrics. My favourite set of the night had to be Randall though, who played last and absolutely smashed it. Playing some classics such as Babylon Splash and Maximum Style to name a few. Other tunes played throughout the night included, arsonist, leviticus, this style and of course renegade snares and the terrorist.
Mampi Swift wasn’t as good as he can be and Friction was on point and played a nice set. The crowd seemed to like the Ragga Twins. Gachet played some great classics as well and one particular favourite was ‘The Box’.
As I said Fearless rocked it and there was even a surprise visit by Det. After speaking to a few people in there, they were saying that it wasn’t as busy as the previous one at Indigo. I thought it was pretty busy though.
But who cares, with a quality line up, soundsytem, wicked club and night of old skool classics who cares. If you have never been to AWOL or you just want an old skool rave with a nice vibe, good crowd and no attitude, this is the one for you. My only criticism was the problems getting home due to the 5am finish. This means either paying loads for a cab, driving, waiting 2 hours for the tube to open or moving house so you live next door. Thanks to the cab driver who drove us home and sorted us out big time!!
Interview By RAVESCUM.COM
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