Review - Gatecrasher @NEC - 16th November 2002 Posted by SarahPvc .... Words by Matt Young on Jan 12, 2003 - 12:15:00 AM

Wow, is all we can say for this one. Wow. And that was just the car journey up there! 130mph all the way in an American Import Thunderbird, 150bpm hard house blaring into my ears is definitely the way to get yourself in the mood for an all night stomp fest.

Anyways, enough of that. For a start, a quick shout out to everyone I was in the car park (C3, or 3C, I can't quite remember) with. Especially the gaggle (the correct collective term for a group of cyber kids) that numbered about 50 identically dressed fluoro teenagers opposite us - nice to see some individiuality amongst clubland!

Given the length of the queue, waiting time to get inside only amounted to about 20 mins, and thus remains in the 'tolerable' area. Once inside (entering into the Tidy Trax arena - NICE!), the atmosphere didn't really take me. It was a bit too cold in all of the arenas, the music hadn't even STARTED in Gatecrasher main, and the place gave an overall empty feel to it. Still, it was going to get better. A lot better. By the time I'd commandeered a VIP pass and heard Nick Sentience drop Revolution (sans vocals, never heard that before), the grin and gurn double had taken over me.

However, staying in one place for an event like this would mean missing something, so the wanderlust took over. In my travels, I not only managed to meet a variety of new CTWers, some of whom I may have scared, some of whom I definitely scared, but I also managed to see the following;

- Underworld, for a stunning rendition of new single Two Months Off. You Bring light in, to the darkness....... Superb. Hyde and Smith demonstrated that even without Mr Emerson's dancefloor savvy, they can still rock the joint.

- Tiesto, roadblocking the main arena (I had my own way of getting through the crowds at this point), with a set that I've heard many describe as 'awe-inspiring'. Despite a lacklustre opening half hour, the Dutch dynamo managed to take it above and beyond, and proved to the assembled masses just why he is rated No.1 in the world.

- X-Press 2, once again tearing the roof off the Bugged Out! arena, and slapping all bedroom DJ's hard around the face with their now legendary six deck, three mixer madness.

- Lab4 proving that they are the undisputed kings of underground hard dance, with their staggering 160bpm set ripping through a selection of nu-classics, and bringing their music to a crowd that begged for more.

- Tidy Boys. Well, Amo and Andy need no introduction to these pages, and once again the boys that are Tidy ripped the living shit out of the Tidy Trax arena. And not a Blockbuster theme tune in sight.

TUNE OF THE NIGHT

This is a toughie. X-Press 2 nearly squeezed it for the singalong that Lazy caused, as did Underworld with the live version of Born Slippy. But even the definitive beer boy anthem (Lager, Lager, Lager....) paled into insignifcance, when compared with the sheer aural orgasm that is;

Lee Haslam - Music is the Drug

Tidy Trax' very own Tony P lookalike has created the anthem of many an event this year, and Gatecrasher NEC was another feather in the cap.


NOTEWORTHY EVENTS

- The magical mystical journey that many have dubbed, 'Tresh's Adventures through the K-hole'

- The security jacket, and with it the ability to push through large crowds of people and get away with it.

- The insanely overpriced (as per usual) laminates.

- The rather crap chill out room. Two X-Boxes and some overpriced bints charging for massages does not a good rest area make. And why the f^ck couldn't we smoke? (NOTE: I gave up smoking after Global Gathering, but it's the principal....)

- The numerous ClubtheWorld group hugs that took place.

- The area we commandeered at the back of the Tidy Trax arena.

- And when the music had all stopped, only one thing could be heard above the deafening silence of the main room.....

WILL YOU START THE FANS, PLEASE!