Live Review: London Elektricity & Dynamite MC, Terrence & Phillip, Rexop, N1, T'Dodge

Having legendary DJ and head honcho of iconic label Hospital Records, Tony Coleman aka London Elektricity return to Metro City for the third successive November is a fair reflection on how fond he is of our bass-loving city. Given his undoubtedly busy schedule with work and family back on the other side of the world, to be making a habit of touring here is flattering. And on arrival at the venue it was apparent the compliment was returned in the form of an eager crowd of d'n'b heads. The line was inexplicably moving at a snail's pace which boggled considering the relatively small crowd size once inside – it's all the reason for me missing opener T'Dodge, although arriving to an already bouncing dancefloor showed he took the warm-up role with gusto. And petty grievances were completely blasted out of mind by the final moments of N1's set. Oh Lordy, how I do love drum'n'bass playing through the Metro City soundsystem. The visceral sensation of a massive drop seizing the entire body is unparalleled.

Terrence & Phillip did nothing to change my stance as they proceeded to rip through a corker set of jump-up and liquid. The crowd was lapping it up and the atmosphere was electric for the lead-up to the headliner's entrance. A few dancing mishaps on what is possibly Perth's most hazardous dancefloor couldn't dampen the spirits and a rousing cheer went up at the sight of London Elektricity and Dynamite MC walking on stage. The following two and a half hours delivered a fun, bouncy set that lacked a strong sense of ebb and flow despite the prevalence of quality liquid tunes from the Hospital stable. Dynamite MC was an excellent companion to the melodic styling of LE's d'n'b, harmonising his vocal delivery in a similar vein to MC Conrad. As is customary for Tony Coleman on his brilliant Essential Mix of 2008 and his regular podcasts, the selection had one foot in the remix-of-a-classic camp (Show Me Love by Michael Mind a standout) and the other in cutting edge releases like Nu:Logic's Morning Glory.

The strangest thing is that it seemed like the set didn't quite flow as well as his previous outings here, even though he managed to avoid trainwrecking a single mix. Perhaps it was due to the littering of slower drumstep numbers that broke up the pace, or the usual rewinds. It mattered very little in the end as it passed the crucial test for a great set: the smile couldn't be removed from everyone in the room, a good vibe that extended for as long as it could into Rexop's closing set, as many a weary dancing feet slowly started shuffling out the door, satisfied with another visit from the Hospital Records legend.