Review - Tidy Weekender 3 Posted by on Apr 23, 2003 - 9:35:00 AM

Tidy Weekender 3
5th,6th,7th April

Words by Matt Young

Are You All Ready?

Pontins, Prestatyn. 9pm. And, despite the fact that I'd been travelling since 7am that morning, the prospect of 72hrs of the hardest beats on the market was keeping me going. Almost as soon as we drove into the site, the bass filled the air. Walking from the car to the main entrance, anticipation crackled around the assembled clubbers. Once check in had happened, chalets had been located, decks set up and clothes changed, it was time to hit the rooms and see if the previous year could be improved on.

Time to lay down some serious sounds

Arriving late as we had, I got into the main room in time to see Hennes & Cold finish off a blinding set, further pushing the boundaries and definitions of euphoric hard trance with their display. Of particular note was their newly commisioned remix of Dirt Devils' The Drill, a personal favourite. After that of course, it was time for Amo and Andy to officially welcome us to the party.

Un-fucking-believable

In accordance with Tidy lore, the opening of any Tidy Boys set is always a spectacle in itself. This time round, the boys favoured us with their own unique take on the Professionals theme tune, itself spliced into the usual Jim'll Fix It monotany. However, the preferred brand of boshness for many a discerning clubber that followed in the next hour only added to the speculation that this weekend would be the best yet.

It's over for me

Elsewhere, Lashes' bitch A-Star once again proved to the assembled masses that why bother with mixing ability when nepotism will get you just as far. Ed Real's drunken set afterwards was far more enjoyable, as the Nukleuz don showed the Harder Arena how it was done. Meanwhile, back in the main room, stateside supremo Jon Bishop blew his already impressive performance from last year out of the water with a quite literally mind blowing set, his own Stalker being another obvious highlight.

I said shut up

Despite missing Paul Maddox's set (a good effort from the spotty kid), Eddie Halliwell and Rob Tissera finished off Friday night's proceedings with their back-to-back set extravaganza, similar to the one witnessed at Slinky Bournemouth the month before. Tissera's party hardy attitude to tunes contrasted nicely with Halliwell's as always scratch-tastic approach, and the assembled clubbers lapped it up. With Friday night over and down with, it was time to return to the chalets in readiness for Saturday night.

This is real shit

In my opinion, the lineup for the main room on Saturday will never be bettered. Wunderkind Guyver kicked off proceedings, delivering the hard dance hybrid that we have come to know and love. Sunny D boys Jez and Charlie were up next, and their own style of boshness stood out for me. Sacrificing a concussed Lee Haslam and a Tony Du Vit memorial set that was by all accounts breathtaking, I was instead privileged to hear perhaps the set of the weekend. Now, don't get me wrong. Favouritism is not playing a part here as regular posters will know that Alison and myself have rarely seen eye-to-eye, but in her Little Miss Loud guise she did the good name of ClubTheWorld proud. Anthem after anthem after anthem tore the roof off the Generation arena, despite a couple of unavoidable technical problems. Like needles that jumped every time yours truly pogoed too close on the dancefloor. Oops.

I'm really mad

Back in the main room, Yoji Biomehanika made up for his noticeable abscence from this years festivals with a breakneck hard trance workout, despite audibly slowing the pitch down at one point. At this point however, much to my chargrin, several factors that I was not fully in control of put me out of the running for the remainder of Saturday night. Grrr. Still, with the exception of the dire Rachel Auburn, the Tidy girls pulled off their back-to-back-to-back-to-back set with relative ease, and Amo and Andy again finished off the night with their standard party orientated style.

We came, we saw, we kicked it's arse

Sunday night got off to a poor start, with the absolutely dire Guffy laying down a badly programmed, poorly mixed pile of toss. Disjointed tune selection and dropped beats forced me into the Tidy Two arena, where the still feeling the effects Lee Haslam surpassed Saturday's set with a more trance orientated mix. This was followed by a brief glance at Guyver's second set, again in my opinion better than the first time round.

Two trailer park girls go round the outside

There are certain three word combinations that make any night something special. Sasha and Digweed, for example. Brandon Block - cancelled, is another. However, the three words guaranteed to make me wet are simply Lab 4 live. Seeing as I appear to stalk Adam and Les around the country with startling regularity, it was only right that I should see them perform perhaps what was their best set yet. Requeim, 4th Floor, the Witch and THAT Eminem track were all present and correct, and the crowd lapped them up as per usual. Live music really does take on a whole new meaning when the dreadlocked demons of the dancefloor step up to the plate. Bet Coldplay never inspire such fervour in their crowd.

I don't need this no more

As per the first two weekenders, the honour of closing was again given to the hardest man in dance music, and Ronaldo lookalike, Paul Glazby. The Vicious Circle boss again proved himself up to the task, peppering his set with the harshest beats going, and a smattering of his own productions. And with that, the weekender was closed once again. All that remained was to count the damage, embrace the paranoia, and set off on the long drive back to the south coast.

It's over for me

Tune of the Weekend

Dirt Devils - The Drill (Hennes and Cold remix)

Never thought I'd hear a track signed to Dave Pearce's dance label played at Tidy Weekender, but there you go.

Set of the Weekend

Little Miss Loud

Proving that she gets booked on more than just looks alone, and narrowly beating Lab 4 to the coveted title with her anthem tinted set.

Hero of the Weekend

Lee Haslam

For giving himself concussion during the Tidy sports day sack race, but still managing to complete his two sets over the course of the weekend. Much respect. Bet you won't try a somersault over the line next time though will you.