Delusion presents Bryan Kearney review

Image: Delusion

Since its establishment in 2009, promoters Johnny Griffiths and Kieran Davies have worked hard to strengthen Delusion’s status as one of the most recognised dance music brands to ever hit South Wales.

Over the past 6 years these guys have brought to the stage the likes of Aly & Fila, Ilan Bluestone, John O’Callaghan and Simon Patterson, providing the community with a much needed revival to the clubbing scene in Swansea.

After being enthralled by residents Rhys Thomas and Callan Christie at the 2015 instalment of Xstatic Festival in Derby, we were keen to see the duo again along with young talent Sam Jones and international producer Bryan Kearney, happily making the journey over to The Scene club in Swansea for a night of some of the finest sub-genre mixtures of trance.

Upon entering the venue, the atmosphere imitated a level of territorial instinct that you would expect from a local country bar. A couple of attendees were looking the new kids up and down wondering what the hell they were doing there, but they were soon assured we were just here to dance.

The saving grace at this point came from the opening set from DJ Kye Davies, which began relatively minimalistic with the textures developing into a sound much heavier as the set progressed. A well thought out performance that effortlessly built excitement amongst a very sparse but enthusiastic crowd. 

It was down to Delusion’s faithful residents Callan Christie and Rhys Thomas to inject some energy on to the desolate dancefloor, before the arrival of Dublin’s finest trance technician.

Christie kick started the countdown by filling the room with the sounds of classic hard trance with uplifting elements, before Thomas cranked it even harder with a technical set incorporating both recent releases and reliable trance favourites, including Delirium’s ‘Silence’ that had everyone singing at the top of their lungs.

Unfortunately for the latecomers, they missed out on some extremely talented local DJs willing to push the boundaries within the trance genre, forging unique and identifiable sounds which can only work in their favour for future ventures within the industry. 

It seemed apparent that people were waiting until the last minute to arrive for Bryan Kearney, with a surge of life passing through the doors of the undersized club minutes before the man of the night took to the decks. The dark reverberations of psy trance sparked what would turn into a relentless two hour journey of stomping and fist pumping powerful enough to tear down the intimate setting.

His renditions of Above & Beyond tracks ‘Satellite’ and ‘Peace of Mind’ showcased his abilities as a top class producer as well as his drive to create tracks and remixes that guide listeners into a new and exciting niche of the trance market.

The dampness in the air from the heat that protruded from the sweat in the room still couldn’t drown his dedicated followers that braved the temperature to continue right to the end of the emotional rollercoaster. As always, no matter the setting or the crowd, Bryan Kearney never fails to impress with his sets and productions.

Regardless of the territorial mentality that was shown by a few revellers, Delusion proved that they can put on a fantastic show, filled with high end visuals, reasonable drink offers and bookings of the highest calibre which provided the most uplifting and heart pounding music to raise spirits. 

Check out Delusion's upcoming event with Alex Di Stefano and the collaboration Bosh! event with Goodgreef and Eddie Halliwell.

Tickets are no longer available for this event