Amanda Gegg attends her first Soulwaxmas and has a merry ol' time.
It’s the weekend before Christmas, excitement in the air, minus degree temperatures outside…which can only mean one thing for Brixton Academy; the almighty Soulwax are back to smash the place up with their annual festive celebration ‘Soulwaxmas’.
Brixton Academy is always insane when it’s a sold-out event but nothing can prepare us for the chaos we’re faced with when we step through the door. The stairways are a shambles, the bar is a mosh-pit and it is not even worth thinking about having a cigarette, but as we step through the doors with the decadent stage in full view, all this angst quickly seeps away. Soulwax (the band) kick off the show in spectacular fashion with their extravagant take on previous songs such as ‘E-Talking’ and ‘Another Excuse’.
With this being my first Soulwaxmas, I’m quite sure what to expect from the band, seeing as they don’t have the largest back catalogue of tracks but they certainly get the crowd going with some experimental riffs and chunky electronic basslines. Not a bad start at all.
Soulwax’s set is short but sweet and finishes in less than an hour. However, we are barely left any time to contemplate as a wall of fairy lights falls down as the backdrop to the front of the stage and the right honourable BoysNoize steps up to the decks. He is the special guest for this evening and I for one feel spoilt by the calibre of the event if he’s to be a support act. This has certainly been his year with a plethora of outstanding gigs under his belt and tonight is no exception. His selection of crisp, cutting and downright filthy electro builds on an already electric atmosphere, although I can’t help but suspect they should have saved him for later on…
Next up, it’s the highlight of the evening, the reason everyone is here; the snappy dressed Belgian duo that is 2ManyDJs. The suit-clad pair step up into a retro wooden booth sprawled with lights down the front, to rock the packed-out academy with their unique take on the world’s most famous party tunes. Throughout the set the mash-ups range all the way from Queen through to Late of the Pier through to Crookers, with a hint of Spandau Ballet. There are, of course, many more tracks thrown in to the mix to make an infectiously dance-worthy set. These guys never fail, nor can I ever see them doing so in the future. Their grey suits might as well be made of gold and the crowd quite rightly applaud them throughout.
Then, just as it seems the night should be coming to an end in spectacular fashion after 2ManyDJs, the wall of fairy lights falls again to welcome MixHell centre stage on the decks. This creates a bizarre atmosphere as they are unable to maintain the electric atmosphere that 2ManyDJs have created. They cannot be blamed for this, however, if you take into consideration they’re being set aside some of the best djs in the world. I can’t help but feel even more confused by the line-up. Surely 2ManyDJs should be saved for last, or at least BoysNoize who is so world-renowned? But you can never underestimate the links between djs and it’s apparent how close MixHell are to the Soulwax clan as they join them on stage throughout the set.
Despite the disjointed feeling we all seem to feel towards the line-up, MixHell put in their best efforts. There is no denying the fun they’re having on stage is infectious and an explosion of snow-like confetti does not go down badly at all before Soulwax rejoin them on drum s for the spectacular finale.
Merry Soulwaxmas one and all!
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