Review: Evil Nine @ Suckerpunch

24 Mar 2010

Suckerpunch crowd

Sheffield's small and elusive DQ, tucked down the back alleys of the Devonshire quarter, can sometimes feel a little full of itself: very conscious of its role as the Steel City's premier host of live electronic music.

Yet the owners deserve very real credit for the faith it has shown in local acts in recent years. The Suckerpunch group, amongst others, have shown how investing a little time in young talent can bear fruition.

In a relatively short space of time the likely lads have played alongside a relative who's who of drum & bass, breaks, house and electro: A-Skillz, Danny Byrd, DJ Tayo, Andy H, Vandal, Trevor Lovey, Sinden, Elite Force, Ctrl-Z and more.

The latest to appear on a foggy and damp spring night were Evil Nine: the studio mix duo of Tom Beaufoy and Pat Hardy. Ably aided by resident DJs, the two treated a crowd with a carnival atmosphere, albeit donned in zombie attire, to an emphatic display of their work.

Stepping away from some of their more minimal work - all Scandinavian pine furniture and rimless glasses - Evil Nine were on top form with an intensive dancefloor set that echoed their FabricLive.28 mix of 2006. Traditional breakbeat intermixed with both smooth melodic tracks and a kind of rougher, readier sound. Edgy guitar and tough beats: limb-pumping energy in a neat little bundle.

It seemed to fit the mock-horror theme of the night. Tight orange trousers, white socks and smoke machines couldn't have expressed it any better. Slightly brooding and dark, but without taking themselves too seriously: creepy sound effects, 80s electro and the occasional stomper. A beautiful slice of self-mockery to dilute an absolutely superb three-hour stormer of a performance. Coffin-dodging stuff.

The next Suckerpunch dates at DQ are on Friday 16th April and Friday 15th May and feature guest slots from MJ Cole and Warrior One respectively alongside residents Andy H, Mr Shanks and Timmy Dutch.

Words: Max Glover

:::: EVIL NINE - March 2010 Mix :::: by Evil Nine

Evil Nine

Like it? Share it!
Sign up for more with the Kmag weekly newsletter.

Latest

New Label Profile: Blueberry Musik
Experimental drum & bass producer Cuelock speaks to us about his new label, Blueberry Musik and gives us a heads up on what to expect.
Harry Shotta - Payback Season: Video
Harry Shotta has teamed up with Original Sin to record Payback Season, the theme tune to the movie of the same name and they've just released this slick looking video.
Dev79 Guest Mix
Philly "street bass" veteran Dev79 drops an exclusive mix and shares some insight into this year's plans for Slit Jockey Records.
Kmag Presents Payback Season Soundtrack
Our next Kmag Presents event at Cafe 1001 on February 24 is arguably our biggest yet. It's the Payback Season Movie Soundtrack party and features Mampi Swift, Uncle Dugs and Jason Kaye.
Shogun Audio Returns To Cable
We talk to Shogun Audio boss Friction ahead of their next label night at Cable in London and the imminent release of the first single from his debut album, Led Astray.
Starz and Deeza Interview
Drum & bass MCs Starz and Deeza featured in 2010 as one of the future sounds of South East London, we caught up with them to find what we can look forward to in 2012.
Dataset Releases Compilation
Dataset have just released a compilation called Future Sounds of San Diego showcasing some of the most forward thinking bass / electronic music artists from the city's scene.
Parklife Weekender Returns
The Parklife Weekender, brought to you by the same team behind The Warehouse Project, returns for the third time at Platt Fields Park, Manchester on June 9th and 10th.
Amit Plans Exit EP
Seven months since the release of his album 9 Times, we caught up with Amit to discuss his new Exit EP, Ableton, vocalists and what he has in store for 2012.
New Label Profile: Dench
Dench Recordings is an emerging future bass imprint based out of Swansea, label owner Josh Henshaw explains all and gives away an exclusive free track.
Horizons Release Internal Affairs 2
Neil Monteiro, head of drum & bass label Horizons Music, tells us all about their new Internal Affairs 2 compilation and what else he has in store for us this year.
Mind Vortex Guest Mix
Drum & bass duo are tipped as ones to watch in 2012. We caught up with them to talk about signing to Ram and their debut single, Now It's Time / Hotbox.
Podcast 20
This month the Kmag podcast features new tracks from Tali, Camo & Krooked, Resketch and Joe Syntax in the mix.
Warehouse Wax Give Away RadiokillaZ Edit
To celebrate the release of their latest EP, Kick Up Rumpus by RadioKillaZ, Warehouse Wax are giving away RadioKillaz's edit of The Moog's Jungle Muffin for free.
John B Interview
John B, the most glamourous man in drum & bass, is back with a new album, Light Speed. We met at the launch to find out all about it...