RAMMING RAUCOUS SOUNDZ

HEAVYWEIGHT SOUNDZ

ANDY C/ MC GQ/ Camo & Krooked/ DJ Fierce
Metro City
Wednesday, January 25, 2012

When drum’n’bass kingpin Andy C comes to town, ‘heavyweight’ is the most apt name for the show and with support provided by DJ Fierce and Austrian up and comers Camo & Krooked, even the heatwave couldn’t keep the crowd away.
As DJ Fierce hit the stage, the dancefloor was getting warmed up. Fierce calls the UK home and has travelled extensively with his crowd-pleasing quickstep and swag of bouncy numbers. Known as Daniel Burke to his mates, he’s been performing since the tender age of 16 and a passionate vinyl devotee, he essentially plays only on the wheels of steel.
Since 2009, he’s been releasing tracks on his own label Quarantine after a number of hits on Prototype, Metro and Andy C’s own imprint Ram Records. Although the vocals featuring in his set weren’t as strong as MC GQ, it was an awesome set. He busted out a few of his hits released on DNAudio and 31 Records as well as a few fresh tunes, it was most definitely a feast of fierce proportions.
With the crowd well warmed up and soaking up the air-conditioner, Andy C hit the stage with a set that proved why he’s a jet-setting drum’n’bass legend that can rock crowds from Amsterdam to New Zealand. He warmed up with classics like Sound Control and the crowd lapped up every minute of it.
MC GQ has been Andy C’s partner in crime for over 10 years since the AWOL Paradise days and despite pursuing separate projects during their career, they always come back to each other. Their chemistry onstage is electric and they both have a commitment to get every person in the venue moving. And that they did, dropping a few new tracks but the crowd responded to the classics with the most willingness as they were executed in true Andy C style - working three turntables complemented by an epic light show and billowing smoke.
Perth truly shone it’s drum’n’bass light on Australia Day eve, not lost on the UK lads who rivalled up the crowd with shouts of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie” to an enthusiastic, ‘hands in the air’ response. There were many a singlet revealing Australian flag tattoos, but no aggression in sight as the crowd mingled happily together in a shared love of classic drum’n’bass with a smattering of dubstep pumping through the speakers upon occasion throughout the evening. Although a seemingly odd set - Andy C wedged in the middle of DJ Fierce and Camo & Krooked - it seemed wise as the last players on the night worked smashed out such an energetic set that neither the heat nor exhaustion could turn fans away.
Camo & Krooked, two young guns – Reinhard Rietsch and Markus Wagner - played an exciting set of eclectic drum’n’bass, showing the crowd why they took out Best EP/Album and Best Producer at last year’s Drum And Bass Arena Awards for their sophomore record Cross The Line.
Although it was disgustingly sticky and hot both outside and in the packed out venue, the crowd worshipped their drum’n’bass legends, and as Andy C has been quoted to say about any of the Loaded Dice gigs he’s played over the 10 years he’s been performing down under – it was “just mind blowing.” Here’s to another 10 years of pioneering drum’n’bass delivering to the true fans down under.

JOE CASSIDY