Chibuku Review 27th September with Annie Mac, Bondax and more

Image: Gary Brown

The highly anticipated reopening of Chibuku Shake Shake in the last weeks has certainly lived up to the hype. Welcoming recent Bass Music Award nominees Disclosure and Hannah Wants on September 15th, the second show had a lot to live up to, but with Annie Mac, B Traits and Bondax among the starlets, wit certainly amounted to the one of their strongest ever line-ups through this reviewer’s eyes.

Skiddle Mix 025 - Holly Lester (Chibuku Shake Shake) by Skiddle on Mixcloud

Warming up the Theatre was recent Skiddle mix incumbent Holly Lester, who certainly knew what the crowd wanted. Playing for three hours before Annie it was definitely her time to show everybody what she has, and she certainly delivered on that front. Playing a mix of energetic house music across the full spectrum, it was the perfect start to the Theatre, filled the entire room nicely and got everybody ready for Annie.

Meanwhile upstairs in the Loft, Bondax had chosen the line up as part of the tour they are currently cavorting across the country for. Olsen was on warm-up duties beforehand, and having never seen him before, we were pleasantly surprised. He played twice in total, either side of Bondax, and his mix of disco beats and razor house grooves helped us settle nicely into the mood before Bondax took to the stage. We caught a little of their set in the jam packed loft, particularly impressed by new single ‘Giving it all’ but we slipped out to catch the main event, Annie Mac returning to the Theatre.

Taking the mic to describe it as her “favourite club in the UK” she knew what a Liverpool crafted crowd enjoyed. The Radio 1 DJ is recently just returning to shows all over the world, and the theatre stage was absolutely packed. Right from the off she went for the jugular, blending the likes of Julio Bashmore's new track ‘Peppermint’, Route 94’s ‘My Love’ and Friend Within’s omnipresent reinterpretation of Wildchild ‘The Renegade’ (watch below), succeeding in living up to her previous Chibuku legacy.

B Traits followed on alongside Juma MC, and the rapturous response Annie secured gave her the perfect opportunity for her first Chibuku show. Her set was phenomenal, including Waze & Odyssey’s dazzling rejig of R Kelly's ‘Bump N' Grind’ and the popular ‘Jack’ from Breach. With the response she got it would seem unthinkable that she wouldn’t be back to seduce the Liverpool ravers any time soon. The whole night was fantastic, continuing Chibuku’s groove driven grapple on Liverpool’s nightlife. And for the next one… we’ll see you down the front.

The next Chibuku event is on Saturday 12th October with Gesaffelstein, Erol Alkan, George Fitzgerald, Eli & Fur and more (main ticket link above). Head here for more details.

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