Live Review: Ministry Of Sound

The newly renovated Forum Theatre opens its doors and welcomes us to a beautiful mosaic floor that's been restored to its original glory in the foyer. As we get our tickets scanned and move further inside, the space has completely opened up with all of the rear seating removed, so there's plenty of space for punters to dance with a clear view of the stage from any angle. It's the perfect venue for round one of this reunion.

Everyone has their sights set on the bar, but it seems as if there's not enough to supply this crowd. Thankfully there's one stage right on the dance floor, so we can still watch Riot In Belgium play an epic set as we queue for a drink. They begin to drop all of the great house tunes that we remember partying to circa 2005-2008, including their own classic hit La Musique. In an instant, we're transported back to our peak clubbing days. The duo throw out some free Shutter Shades to the audience that's the perfect accessory to make us feel like we're dancing in a video clip for Kanye West's 2007 hit Stronger, sampling Daft Punk's Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger.

Bang Gang DJs continue with all the essential electro-house floor-fillers to get the crowd buzzing with excitement. The crew including Gus Da Hoodrat and Jamie Doom reunite wearing 'I'm With Ajax' t-shirts to pay respect to their long lost member. They play all the top tracks from their golden days that celebrate the quintessential soundtrack of clubbing in the mid-noughties with bangers such as Mylo's Drop The Pressure, Tiga's You Gonna Want Me and timeless party hits including Roxanne by The Police and Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics. By the end of their set, the crowd is absolutely peaking.

Everyone's hanging to see Sneaky Sound System and Black Angus hits the decks to tease us with a few remixes before Miss Connie Mitchell graces us with her star presence. "It's been a long time coming/my heart is aching," sings Mitchell as she begins with their first track, I Love It that introduced us to them back in 2006. "Well, good evening ladies and gentlemen!" she shouts as she floats across the stage in a flowing kaftan and signature afro hair. The duo plays a club-heavy set carried by Mitchell's powerhouse vocals on some of their biggest hits including Pictures, Kansas City and It's Not My Problem. They throw in a surprise cover of Daft Punk's Around The World to please the masses and build us up to their supercharged anthem UFO for a big finish.

John Course keeps the party going right until the very end. "Just when you think there's no more good music left, there's a lot more to come!" He assures anyone who still has enough energy left in them to stay on their feet. He gives the audience exactly what they want with hit after hit. David Guetta's Love Don't Let Me Go, The Presets' My People and Chemical Brothers' The Salmon Dance (Crookers 'Wow' Mix) are just a few highlights of his set. "We're supposed to go home but I thought I'd squeeze one more in," he tells us before dropping the ultimate Annual anthem Midas Touch and in a moment everything turns to gold. The lights come on and as we head out into the early hours of the morning. For many, the night has only just begun.