Live Review: Matt & Alex - 5 Raves In 5 Days

The triple j breakfast boys heralded in the first night of summer with sweat-inducing rave tunes, joined by an impressive array of guest DJs as part of their 5 RAVES IN 5 DAYS farewell lap of the country. Boundaries were pushed in both venue capacity and etiquette, with the departing radio duo acting as both the hype men and cautionary advisors throughout the evening.

Excited young punters lined up early, the queue trailing around the corner of the Beach Road Hotel. The venue was at near-capacity when The Preatures began their DJ set with nostalgic '90s and noughties hits, playing everything from The Prodigy to Groove Armada. Lisa Mitchell and Montaigne used their joint DJ set to host some of the biggest singalongs of the night. This included Queen's euphoric Bohemian Rhapsody as well as Mitchell's own track The Boys. Gang Of Youths apologetically struggled to work out song transitions on the decks. Lead man David Le'aupepe made up for this by lending his vocals to their slot, also bringing along his signature swagger moves.

Glow sticks and legionnaire caps were tonight's dress code as Matt & Alex emerged for the fourth stop on their five-day rave tour extravaganza. It was a performance that constantly teetered on the edge of chaos. By now it was completely normal to look across the room and see sweaty attendees perched on bar stools, tables and occasionally hanging from the ceiling. Co-host Alex Dyson's mantra was simple: "Rave safe but rave hard." The crowd got at least part of this right, the fervent dancing never waning.

Spontaneous crowd-curated singalongs of DJ Otzi's Hey Baby (Uhh Ahh) filled any silent void. These were few and far between as the tune providers had a clear line of deep and dirty dance tracks to keep everyone moving. Nina Las Vegas was granted temporary ownership over the decks. Her quick-fire professionalism brought about new energy as she wove percussive heavy and fast tempo jams before dropping her own single EZY. The radio presenters brought the night home with Darude's mosh-crazed Sandstorm and their comical banger Pack 'Er Up, Boys. The One Day DJs played out the final hour with a rap- and trap-fused playlist as some punters sought out long-deprived breathing space.