Live Report: DJ Harvey Is Mercury Rising, Ibiza Rocks House At Pikes 2015

Thunderstorms, electronic music and the White Isle...

Sunday 17th August starts hot with the air fresh from days of thunderstorms. We jump in a cab and drive from Talamanca Bay to Ibiza Rocks House at Pikes, where we've been invited to cover DJ Harvey Is Mercury Rising the following night – his final Monday night residency slot of the season. Converted from one of the oldest finca estates on the island, the hotel has been a magnet for jet setters for decades.

Harvey's words on the flyer say it all: 'Once upon a time at Club Tropicana, Tony Pike, Grace Jones, Bianca Jagger and Freddie Mercury enjoyed their own grown-up playground at Pikes Hotel on the White Island of Ibiza, Spain. They worshipped Tanit the Goddess of Love and worshipped the night away to music as exotic as their fantasies. 30 years later and for those in the know, little has changed. Tony is still here and we still dance and love to a Balearic soundtrack. Freddie may be gone but his pleasure palace remains.'

The Ibiza Rocks presence at Pikes has continued the lineage of musicians and celebrities in attendance. Bands like Kasabian through to the likes of Mark Ronson, Rudimental and current pop overlord (whether you like it or not) Ed Sheeran among a host of other headline household names have all partied poolside. The Balearic island is of course a recreation ground for a party crowd from all walks of life, and Ibiza Rocks House at Pikes Hotel lies at its epicentre.

Proprietor Tony Pike, now 81 and still a resident, adorns the walls in frames of all sizes. Photographed arm in arm with hall of famers from politicians through to actresses and musicians from the last decade.

No other location in Ibiza can bring you an intimate party like this with a living legend of the scene – someone who's experienced punk and disco first hand and is still going strong. DJ Harvey's sets at nights like New Hard Left and Moist at Ministry Of Sound in the '90s were legendary bacchanalian events – and this Mediterranean residency has set a new benchmark.

The Ibiza Rocks team nurture and develop the scene on the island, bringing the freshest indie bands and headline festival acts every week throughout the season. Walking into the inner sanctum of Pikes, where the sound system is pumping, you stroll past a host of artists on the wall framed who have played at the events, while 700 partygoers are splayed over three rooms.

Harvey Bassett's sound is a perfect blend of house classics re-edited in his own inimitable fashion, and leftfield disco anthems – brought up to date with the freshest cuts. The setup of his booth tonight allows him to react instantly to the vibe of the crowd writhing around him in such close proximity.

The music, hospitality, and guests in attendance make for an intoxicating and heady mix. Event goers around us are stating this as the best party in their recent memory and it's easy to see why.

Some have travelled thousands of miles just for the weekend and tonight's residency. We grab a moment poolside where Fatboy Slim and Zoe Ball are catching some air, post Friday's Fatboy Slim party at Space which was packed out. Norman Cook was also announced as replacement to Spandau Ballet's cancelled gig at the Ibiza Rocks Hotel on Wednesday. The band sadly had to pull out due to illness, and Norman stated that when family need a favour you help them out.

Guests tonight are presented with the opportunity to dance like Freddie would have danced, to lose their inhibitions to the sexiest soundtrack on the island. If you ever get that opportunity and mercury rises again, take it by the hand and run to the Ibizan hills for a weekend. We danced until we could dance no more before retiring to an incredibly beautiful suite to freshen up before hitting the Tropicana pool one last time.

Words: Alex Thompson
Photo Credit: Luke Dyson

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