Its no secret that the announcement of a Pendulum DJ set gets the heart beating about as much as a monotone Oz-tinged slice of ‘Home and Away’.
You get one band member at a push, many have been cancelled, and most often the case, you wanted a gig. One can expect this set was approached with distinct reservations and little enthusiasm.
Dundee was the setting, and newly opened ‘Okupa’ was the venue. Opening act ‘Pangea’ had enough turntable swagger to disengage the stiffest of hips, swapping deck responsibilities every 30-40 minutes. The local young duo transformed the early night ghost town in to a glittering mob scene.
On trekked ‘El Hornet’, tonights token Pendu-lumni. With the crowd warm, the Aussie DJ sprung into the haunting horns of Propane Nightmares, accompanied by MC Jakes. I personally reside within the school of thought that MCs hand lyrics to songs that don’t need them: MC-ing is a dying art. Yet the young grimer pumped up the dance-floor in an admirable style. El Hornet delivered a back breaking set packed with debut album influences. Even the ‘oh so cool’ onlookers who hovered with their Coronas, refusing to dance in case their trilby fell and marked their tweed, were drawn into the fray by an epic mix of ‘Chase & Status Vs Plan B’.
The night closed too early on ‘Granite’ and a sweaty crowd dispersed into a cold Scottish night. An impressive shift from the d’n’b delegate ringing in the ears. Note to self, expect this next time.
