The queue of people for the opening weekend at The Warehouse Project had me thinking people had been camped outside since the Easter weekend’s events. This notion, however, was quickly dispelled as the seemingly frightening queue only lasted two minutes. Revellers had travelled from far and wide to become part of the cocktail of memories that were due to be created, and thankfully unorganisation wasn’t going to stop them.
The Friday was no less than Rinse’s 18th birthday: taking into account the fact that as a toddler it was already London’s biggest pirate radio station, it didn’t take much to work out that its legal drinking age would be met with a debauched soireé. Diplo, Roska, Joker and Plastician employed the mighty sound-systems of the WHP to decimate all the candles, and it seemed they’d all wished for thousands of happily skanking bodies. It was strictly no musical statues!
Saturday on the other hand was a completely different affair, musically anyway. The residents alone - Four Tet, Maceo Plex, Julio Bashmore, Scuba, Joy Orbison, Jackmaster, Jacques Greene, Bicep, Krysko & Greg Lord – were enough to make any Ibiza closing party blush. Combine this with the presence of headliner Nicolas Jaar, techno savant Ben Klock and the one and only Seth Troxler and the visitors from as far as Germany and Ireland were quickly explained.
A weekend of world class performers meant you had to pick the highlights of the highlights. Skream cutting the music to play The XX’s Angels was a special moment. It was almost as beautiful as the berserk reaction from the following song; Love Will Tear Us Apart. It was a fine milestone for Mancunian history.
From Four Tet playing material from Pink to Jackmaster & Joy Orbison’s hip hop/R&B bonanza right through to some sub-zero dubplates from Icicle in room 3, the weekend’s quality could only be matched by its eclectic nature. Never so quickly had a dilapidated warehouse transformed into a scene of iconic imagery.
Thankfully now there aren’t 5 month gaps between weekends with events, in fact the only thing that’ll keep you waiting is if you’re too slow on tickets. With many nights already sold out and artists including Flying Lotus, Orbital, The Chemical Brothers, Animal Collective, Soulwax and Fatboy Slim all waiting their turn on the decks, you’d best be quick!
Tickets and full information is available at http://www.thewarehouseproject.com/
