Get Together summer party at The Rainbow Venues review

Kristian Birch-Hurst got stuck into the grime, dub and bass on offer at Get Together's summer instalment in Birmingham.

Last updated: 12th Jul 2017

Originally published: 11th Jul 2017

Image: Get Together (credit)

Taking place in the now legendary Rainbow Venues, Get Together made light work of two of the complex’s most close-quarters spaces - the Blackbox and outdoor Garden - bringing grimy bass hooks, stripped back dub and just a splash of melodic summer swagger.

As is customary with the Get Together brand, the energy levels were cranked to 11 from start to finish, waves of re-winds consistently threw the crowd into a flurry of “woi”s, “wayyy”s and “wheel it!”s while loaded gun fingers punctured the air at every dark twist and turn.  

In the aptly named Garden a mesh of camouflaged canvas hung low above the heads of the punters while vine leaves clung to pillars, walls and the terrace stairwell. The DJ booth resembled that of a wooded jungle hut with exotic plants lain strategically on the outskirts of the floorspace. 

It was in this unique outdoor space that the Get Together residents provided a night-long wave of bass, old school funky house and garage anthems with sprinklings of grime, dubs and bashment reminiscent of that being created in the main room, but not detracting from it.   

The Blackbox played host to the headliners of the night; a tight, low-ceilinged box room with floors and walls painted entirely black, where front and centre lies the crowd level DJ booth surrounded by a black metal mesh - the front facing mesh is just low enough for eager punters to throw the occasional fist bump or high-five to their heroes behind the decks. Exaggerated by the darkness of the room itself, strobe lights and precision lasers appear more vibrant and provide a glitzy visual spectacle alongside the murky basement vibes.  

Gundam had no issues hyping up the main space with his unique blend of soulful, R&B inspired grime. Melodic female vocals were strewn throughout with sampled shouts to the 90s cut amongst darker tribal rhythms. 

Another stand-out set came from Swindle, marrying elements of afrobeat, samba and bashment to create a distinct street-carnival style atmosphere. The rhythmic drum work throughout maintained a steady groove amongst the crowd, with tracks like 'Mad Ting' (featuring grime don JME) adding a well-received heavy flourishes to the lighter track selections.  

However, as the early hours approached, it was the dub and grime infused overlords of darkness Kahn and Neek who stole the show. Taking the room into the deepest 140 depths with absolute conviction, armed with a bottomless crate of moody, atmospheric and of course, mad exclusive dubplates. Big dubstep anthems like 'Dick Tracy' provided low end perfection alongside oriental strings and eastern sitar samples, the signature sound that has become synonymous with the duos collaborative and solo productions.  

Well balanced music programming combined with excellent track selection and a die hard crowd following made for one murkiest summer parties you could hope to chance upon. Inspired by the impending summer but not moulded by it, the collective thoroughly succeeded in crafting a seasonal-themed event that never once failed to maintain that all important Get Together identity.