British electronic duo Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons returned to the city in which they formed The Chemical Brothers in 1989. Taking over Room 1 for an electric 3 hour set. It’s always a little unclear when an artist such as the Chems are doing a lengthy set, whether they’ll base it around their own back catalogue or mix it up. Tonight was definitely the latter with the duo teasing at their own tracks – proving they are still world class when it comes to mixing. As if anyone doubted it.
The event, of course, was a sellout with the inevitable flow of people flooding through the arches of Store Street to grab a spot for the main event. As we arrive, Paul Woolford was wrapping things up in Room 1 as the excitement continued to build for the main event. As Rowlands and Simons made their way to the decks, everything seemed to come alive as they begin.
Within the first half hour they have entwined an epic version of ‘Go’ into their set. Although the visuals are hard to get near the heights of what the Chemical Brothers fans are used to, with tonight’s venue unable to give enough room to drop giant robots from the ceiling, so tonight the fans have to settle for some trippy visuals from the Warehouse DJ booth as a sea of hands reach up for the lasers.
Their set had the trademark Chems sound throughout. It was very electro with hints of techno to rekindle the crowds interest, as well as the duo playing to their usual formula of saving the more psychedelic tracks for the end. There was a clear uplift in atmosphere when the more recognised Chems tracks were played and people would rush in to get a closer spot nearer to the stage. Everyone seemed to get lost in the music for the whole three hours as the duo they kept it fresh and held the crowd’s interest, diving into their discography whenever required.
The Chemical Brothers are arguably one of the most influential groups in dance history – definitely in the British music scene. Not only do they have a back catalogue to make most major acts blush, but they also have excellent taste in music, which means their DJ sets are always guaranteed to entertain.
