Bondax and friends @ UEA
A well-curated celebration of danceable electro
The LCR on Friday night was atypical. The doors were open, booming bass could be heard from the bus stop, music fans queued – but it wasn’t your average gig.
Norwich underground electro stalwarts Deep Trouble were hosting Bondax and Friends, a UK tour showcasing the shinier side of electro. It was stopping off at established dance centrals, e.g. Liverpool, Birmingham, Brighton etc. With popular electronic duo Bondax curating the all-star line-up of, Our Fine City seemed like an unlikely stop.
Nevertheless, Bondax and Friends’ in Norwich was an exciting prospect for local electroheads. Or so you’d think. Norwich was the only place where the tour didn’t sell out, and the failure to shift tickets sure was obvious. We walked into the main room to find American artist Sweater Beats playing to handful of shuffling youngsters. It felt like a school disco – i.e. embarrassing. Sweater Beats himself couldn’t be faulted; bass-packed beats and remixes filled gaps in the dancefloor, and flowed neatly into the second DJ, Karma Kid.
Derbyshire’s Karma Kid made the best of a half-empty room, spinning a near-perfect blend of house and garage. It was difficult for us to leave the dancefloor, but we knew we had to check out Room 2, advertised as DEEP TROUBLE x Transition Snow. Deep Trouble resident DJ’s and special guests – we’re spoilt here in Norwich, aren’t we?
A bouncer blocked our way. Peering keenly through the double doors, we could make out a fully lit room, few figures and little activity. “Badminton social”, the bouncer explained curtly. We slunk back from what was practically the opposite of what was promised, and awaited the next act, Moon Boots. Slightly weaker than the other DJs, the American focused on tropical-infused beats – lots of steel drums etc. It became slightly repetitive and fell short of my expectations. His remix of Bondax’s Gold is brilliant, but the stuff he was playing in the LCR was less progressive house and more Pitbull instrumental.
Next up: Bondax. The LCR still wasn’t bustling, but numbers had increased, so it wasn’t totally cringeworthy when the Lancaster duo coaxed “What are you saying, Norwich!” They deftly introduced themselves before unleashing an impressive selection of remixes, ranging from Kendrick Lamar to Basement Jaxx. Wavy house gave way to funk grooves, then to sun-drenched beats. Much to the crowd’s pleasure, they also played signature hits (e.g. All I See, Giving It All) in full.
Bondax and Friends was, musically, a well-curated celebration of danceable electro. Shame about the turnout t. The lack of energy meant the tunes didn’t translate as well as they should have done; after all it’s called dance music for a reason.
