Pendulum (DJ) @ The Arch review: a night of clever bass selections

Saturday evening saw an ignition of Brighton’s nightlife, with Australian heavy hitters Pendulum playing a DJ set to a sold-out crowd at The Arch in Brighton. The well-renowned Australian electronic rock band, founded in 2002, are known for their fusion of drum and bass with alternative rock, heavy metal and acoustic instruments, and over the last few years for their high-octane beats and DJ sets. Despite being made up of multiple members, it’s original band member Paul Harding’s job to tour around the world DJing under the band name, continuing to spread the name globally away from their much-adored full band live performances. 

It was a late night (or early) start to the main event, with Harding playing in Southampton at around 9:30 pm before travelling down to Brighton  - it wasn’t until the early hours that Pendulum came to the stage, but the support acts were perfectly poised to electrify the crowd. In an event organised and promoted by Supercharged this week, the bookings team brought in Croftz and Abby Furness to perform on the evening with their wide array of heavy drum and bass sounds, with the latter broadcasting her vocal dynamics too with Croftz staying behind the decks for her performance; they did an unbelievable job at captivating the crowd and perfectly-getting them charged up for the main event.

From the moment Pendulum’s Paul Harding took to the stage, the energy in the room turned up a notch. With a variety of cult Pendulum fans mixed with the younger, student demographic of Brighton, the room felt like a very diverse and inviting space to embrace the culture and atmosphere presented by drum and bass sounds. 

Wasting no time in getting the crowd moving, Pendulum mixed a seamless array of heavy-hitting tracks with some of their biggest hits such as ‘Napalm’ with a wider variety of newer, yet equally rhythmic sounds. A lengthy set that distributed bass sounds that shook the walls and reverberated around the room, the track selection was dynamic and broadcasted multi-genre soundscapes for all to enjoy. 

With a mix that showed not only skill, but high levels of crowd control and sound encapsulation, Pendulum demonstrated why they are still in high regard as legends within the drum and bass scene. Reading the room expertly before dropping massive basslines, the energy levels were always kept sky-high throughout the night, and the 550-strong crowd were never given a dull moment on the night. 

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.

Header image credit: Charlie Cummings