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



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