Barry Can't Swim @ The Warehouse Project review: Euphoric electronic escapism

A palpable buzz permeated the caverns of the Depot (Mayfield) on Friday night. A special one at that. It was one of those noticeable feelings that you get around the real momentous occasions. Those memories you look back on with arrogant glee as you tell the people you’re with: “Yeah, I was there, it was wicked.” 

For Barry Can’t Swim - an artist who has cultivated a considered yet cultish audience and received both Brit and Mercury nominations for his debut album last year, all while earning a reputation as one of dance music’s most coveted live acts - this debut Warehouse Project headline slot on the Eat Your Own Ears bill, his last show of 2024, felt just like that. 

Image: Jody Hartley 

With over five years since his first EP, Barry Can’t Swim, aka Joshua Mannie, has carved out a niche all his own. His sumptuous blend of deep house grooves with lush jazz textures and infectious afrobeat rhythms makes his music feel like a warm embrace on the dancefloor. Whether it’s the arpeggiated synths, symphonies that swirl and soar, or the moreishly modest vocal lines that float over them; Barry’s music is filled with joy and sincerity, and his ability to translate that into live performances is nothing short of masterful. 

However, such a live performance - being at Warehouse Project after all - was not performed in isolation. Barry was joined by a sensational supporting cast of DJs, with those of whom we caught including Chaos in the CBD, Joy Orbison, Salute, Palms Trax, Jyoty and Sofia Kortesis… yeah, not too shabby a night at all. Let's run through it

Image: Jody Hartley  

The night kicked off for us in the Concourse with the hypnotic sounds of Chaos in the CBD, a duo renowned for their understated yet deeply groovy house tracks. For the 20 or so minutes we caught their set, they delivered a seamless mix of their signature jazzy sensibilities but with a bass sonically elevated from their recorded works, both in texture and volume. It was magnetic and the perfect warm-up for what was to come.

Next up was Salute presents True Vision, performing selections from his debut album, True Magic. From the moment Salute took command of the stage there was an unbound swagger and a maverick confidence that emanated from behind the decks. From the opening track, his dreads swinging to the beat, it was clear he was here to make a statement. Salutes' knack for blending introspective lyricism with bold, uplifting production made the performance feel raw and alive, and a perfect precursor to someone like Barry Can’t Swim. 

 Image: Jody Hartley

However, while we were tempted to stay and soak in the entire set, the allure of catching some of Joy Orbison drew us away - but Salute had already set the bar incredibly high.

Over on the Concourse, Joy Orbison brought his signature brand of wobbling bass and off-kilter rhythms to the floor. For half an hour, we were willingly lost in the bassy murk of his set, a deeply delectable murk that’s made him one of the most talked-about DJs of the moment. A notion none more so realised than when hitting into edits of his signature track Flight FM. While the set was most definitely a departure from the deep house ethos of the evening, it added a welcome punch of grit and intensity, and a chance to ground ourselves in something heavier before the ethereal sounds of Barry Can’t Swim swept us all away.

Image: Sophia J. Carey 

The depot had packed out amid our brief excursion to the concourse, and of course, it was because Barry Can’t Swim's live headline set was about to begin. From lights dimming to the entrancing opening notes of ‘Where Will We Land?’, the celestial, spaced-out opener from his record of the same name, the room was spellbound. It’s one of those transportive tracks where life melts away and all that matters is the here and now. And with the likes of ‘Dance of the Crab’ and ‘Kimbara’ shimmering their layered melodies and magnetic rhythms soon after; Barry had everyone locked into his sonic orbit. 

Masterfully upping the tempo throughout his hour, Barry transformed the night from a religious sonic experience to full-blown dancefloor subservience. Tracks like ‘Still Riding’ and the sensationally groovy ‘Fiorucci Made Me Hardcore’ received many a receptive roar, and had the crowd moving in perfect synchrony. Yet, the climax came, following a few words of heartfelt thanks from Barry, when he hit into the rapturous ‘Deadbeat Gospel,’ during which one true main character in the audience couldn’t help but hold her umbrella aloft, a beacon of joy in the pulsating haze of hands in the air. 

Barry Can’t Swim didn’t just headline the night; he owned it. To headline Warehouse Project with a live set entirely of your own tracks, and have such awe-stricken ravers perpetually in the palm of your hand, is a testament of greatness for any artist. 

Image: Jody Hartley

Following such a set, and the hours ticking on, the rest of the night understandably became a blurred smorgasbord of exploration - both literally around the confines of Depot (Mayfield) and sonically through the groove-laden sets we got to witness - and a fair whack of boogying.

Whether it was the Latin-fused house beats of the exceptional Sofia Kourtesis, particularly those picked from her debut record ‘Madres’; the genre-spanning, dance-insistent beats of Palms Trax; or the Grimey Garage celebration of the new and old with Jyoty, who launched near instantly into a wicked rework of ‘Too Many Man’; It’s fair to say that the two-step and gyrations rarely stopped until we called it quits. 

There's little more to say about Barry Can’t Swim x Eat Your Own Ears at Warehouse Project that I haven't already. It was a night of true electronic escapism and up there with the best I’ve been to this year.

All that is left to say is that if you missed out, fear not! Apple Music and Warehouse Project have a brand new initiative to capture DJ sets from the 2024 season using the ground-breaking Spatial Audio; an innovative system designed to bring listeners as close as possible to the real experience.

Barry Can’t Swim, among others from the night, will be having their sets specially engineered and mastered for the initiative and you will be able to listen to it in a few weeks when it is ready!

In the meantime, why not go and check out other recordings from earlier in the 2024 season, including TSHA, Luuk Van Dijk, Bonobo, DJ Seinfeld, and Bradley Zero? As well as the most recent selection launched on friday, which includes Skream b2b Eats Everything, Duskus b2b ATRIP, Chloé Caillet, and Tia Cousins. 

Find what else is on during the rest of the Warehouse Project 2024 season - HERE

Or, to find a list of all the Warehouse Project sets recorded on Apple Music's Spatial audio - HERE

Check out our What's On Guide to discover even more rowdy raves and sweaty gigs taking place over the coming weeks and months. For festivals, lifestyle events and more, head on over to our Things To Do page or be inspired by the event selections on our Inspire Me page.