On Friday the 22nd of July, ‘Pitch Control’ and ‘Thick As Thieves’ hosted Duke Dumont at ‘The Bottom End’. This isn’t my first time seeing Duke Dumont and I doubt it will be my last. The king of house and one of my all-time favourite DJ’s put on a killer show. It was a fantastic night and certainly came close to making up for the fact we couldn’t get to Byron for Splendour.
‘The Bottom End’ is one of my favourite venues in Melbourne. Multi-storeyed and with many rooms, it’s a bit of a maze but is a fantastic set up. Lots of toilets, you don’t have to travel far from the main stage to get a drink and podiums galore. It was hot and sweaty and it did get somewhat crowded, but the sound system did justice to the Duke and I managed to get close to the stage without getting squished to death.
Duke didn’t come on until 2am, so to keep us all awake until the hour of power, local DJ’s Lucille Croft and Torren Foot played on the main stage. Their beats were deep and they played a mix of originals and popular tunes to get us warmed up for the main act.
Opening with one of my favourites, ‘Need U’ had the crowd singing along to every word. When I interviewed Duke back in 2014 he said that the aim of his music was to be uplifting and positive. That’s what this show was all about. Everyone was dancing and singing and feeling good.
I am a big fan of Duke Dumont’s mixes on Soundcloud. They’re my go to playlists for when I need to perk up my mood or get revved for a night out. His set on Friday night did nothing short of exceed my expectations. His transitions between tracks were seamless and even the fillers were top notch. ‘Won’t Look Back’ was an anthem that had the crowd chanting. ‘Latch’ and ‘Giver’ were absolute fire.
Just as it seemed like the set was winding up and Duke wasn’t going to play anymore, he hit us with ‘I Got U’, bringing back memories of the summer of 2013/2014. To finish off he played his latest track ‘Ocean Drive’ that blew the roof off the ‘Bottom End’.
The show seemed to be over way too quickly and I was pretty sad when it was done. Duke Dumont is the master of a good time.
Rating: ★★★★
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author: Alexandra Milne