Andy C All Night at The Rainbow Venues review

Image: Andy C

With most major cities within the UK developing reputations as hotspots for ravers to venture to, it was only a matter of time before Birmingham would muscle in on the action. The birth of ‘Imaginarium’, a huge series hosted at the infamous Rainbow Venues, cemented the city even further as one of the leading clubbing capitals. 

One event within the series that caught the eyes of ravers local and from afar was Andy C’s ‘All Night’ show. Five hours of the dirtiest music from the UK’s leading drum and bass DJ, along with accompaniments from Birmingham's scene was the perfect concoction to get the blood pumping in the gloomy winter months. 

Once we had mastered the confusion of the entrance, with Rainbow’s sister club Blackbox positioned side by side with the event causing a clash of clubbers getting mixed up in the chaos of queueing, we were greeted by the delightful sounds of the Andy C’s support act warming up an already busy and excited crowd.

Unfortunately there were no advertisement of set times or support acts, but whoever they were got every fist in the place pumping to the rhythm of the bassline. 

The club itself resembles a maze – a labyrinth of obstacles that became harder to navigate as the place quickly filled with energetic drum and bass fans, making it difficult to move around the venue to explore. Although the security did a very good job at monitoring traffic on the dubious staircase, getting to and from bars and toilet facilities meant an ample amount of queueing.

However, this slight animosity was about to evaporate into the air as the man of the moment took to the stage for his marathon set that would see us through until the early hours.

Complemented by three very talented MCs, Andy C preceded to whip the crowd into a frenzy from the start, incorporating commercially successful tracks like Calvin Harris and The Disciples 'How Deep Is Your Love' and 'Get Free' Major Lazer into his energetic set.

It was relentless – at no point could you stop yourself from bouncing to the powerful beat that propelled vibrations from the sound system into the soul. A highlight that sent shivers down spines was his technical collaboration of Wilkinson’s ‘Half Light’ with the iconic Chase and Status track ‘Blind Faith’, effortlessly showcasing his natural flair and talented ear for creating innovative sound sequences. 

Looking over the tightly packed crowd from the balcony area, with lighters in the air, the revellers waited for the drop into TC’s ‘Get Down Low’ (above). It's a vision that will stay in our minds for years to come.

Most people tend to associate drum and bass as one of the angrier versions of dance music, bringing with it a crowd fuelled by fury and rebellion. What this image highlighted was unity and a sense of togetherness – a love for each other and for the music. Only a genius such as Andy C could create a moment of pure beauty such as this.

As the lights peaked through the smoke at 5am, it illuminated a sea of tired ravers with sweat dripping from their brows and a twinkle in their eye.

What had just been witnessed was one of the greatest drum and bass spectacles in the UK, without a shadow of a doubt. As we made our way home with muscle fatigue and feeling half a stone lighter, all we can think about is how to relive this memory again. 

Fancy witnessing this yourself? Get tickets for Andy C All Night at WHP on Thursday 10th December or Andy C All Night at Alexandra Palace on Thursday 24th March.

Tickets are no longer available for this event