Pier Jam Part 3 review

Image Credit: Nathan D'Amour

We hot-footed straight from the warm sunsets of Ibiza to the bright-lights of Blackpool for the third instalment of the summer series Pier Jam, which has been taking place on Blackpool’s North Pier since June this year.

Outdoor music events in the UK, let alone the north of England, are always a bit of a gamble. Pair that with an open-air set up on a pier and you are pretty much living life on the edge. Weather reports warned us about the rain, however our positive thinking didn't let us down and the sun had his hat on ready for the penultimate Pier Jam.

As the sea lapped along the shore and against the pier, and the distinct scent of fish, chips, fried onions and sugared donuts filled the air. There’s something very nostalgic about the Great British seaside that already triggered an excitement before the day's proceedings even began.

The pier looks almost as if its been untouched by time. Since 1860, it has hosted events from cabaret to theatre and has made its mark through history. Over 150 years on it is now the venue for an electronic music based series - the first of its kind at the iconic space. 

Walking down the main stretch of the pier we were greeted with four stage areas, all in keeping with the originality of the structure. The Tea Rooms, Carousel Bar, Sunset Stage all had a jam-packed schedule but our first stop was the main Terrace Stage. Seeing CamelPhat drop ‘Constellations’ (above) so early on in the day was the start we needed to confirm that we were in for one hell of a ride in Blackpool - without setting foot on the Pleasure Beach!

There was a slight alteration to the line-up on The Terrace as Sigala, currently celebrating his first number one with ‘Easy Love’, was involved in a car accident enroute to the event (he’s ok, don’t worry) so Pier Jam resident Brian Murphy stepped in and successfully held the crowd with a high energy-set before Leftwing & Kody took to the decks and brought the deep house to Blackpool.

They mixed their own offerings from ‘Lost’ and ‘Crazy’ then were followed by Low Steppa, who didn’t give the audience an opportunity to come up for air. Low Steppa’s set delivered from start to finish, with highlights including his mix of Hardrive’s ‘Deep Inside’ and his hit ‘So Real’ with Kelli-Leigh.

The Sunset Stage had been full to the brim for the entire day, with upcoming talents Matt Wigman, Jamie Buckley, Lee Drake and Andy Shaw delivering back-to-back sets and commanding the crowd with true profession. Later acts included Majestic and MJ Cole – there was no danger of the Sunset Stage losing numbers to the Terrace with a line-up so strong.

After an incredible set from Friend Within, Disciples (pictured above) took to the stage with a rapturous welcome. The DJ ‘trio of the moment’ have been riding high on chart success this summer. ‘They Don’t Know’ received huge appreciation, but as soon as they dropped their current single (that collaboration with Calvin Harris) ‘How Deep Is Your Love’, it went off!

Darkness had just fully set across the pier, and the lights from the golden mile and Blackpool Tower, which was emblazoned with a huge flashing love heart, were all visible along with a sea of thousands of people with arms in the air echoing the chorus of the song of the summer. It was truly a breathtaking moment. 

Bontan's set was big. The first half of the set delivered the expected hi-hat and drum infused tracks and created a great energy and engaged the entire pier. His performance was seamless and exciting. ‘Got a Feeling’ rolled out mid set to a fantastic reception and ‘Gypsy Woman’ had the crowd going crazy.

Now time for DJ EZ, and it seemed that every person that attended Pier Jam had exited all the other three stages and piled on and every available section of the pier just to be present for this headline act. DJ EZ has smashed it all summer and he didn’t disappoint the Blackpool crowd, going straight into his set with the DJ S.K.T remix of Nightcrawlers' ‘Push The Feeling On’  .

As a DJ, he is considered one of the best of his generation and still remains as relevant as ever. There are few words that can do EZ's legacy much justice at all. After over two decades it is safe to say he lets the music do the talking. Between dirty mash-ups of Sweet Female Attitude's ‘Flowers’, Neville Bartos ft Lorenzo’s ‘Coke Diet’ (above) and Skepta’s ‘That’s Not Me’, the set was dark, grimy, full of bass and everything that an EZ set should be.

The crowd mirrored his onstage energy as he bounded up and down in time with the beats. The lighting and the co2 cannons created an ambience as intimate as a warehouse rave, forgetting for a time that we were all on a pier stuck 500m out into the Irish Sea. Solo 45's ‘Feed Em To The Lions’ almost brought the whole pier down.

From the concept, to the unique location and the world-class talent - Pier Jam didn’t fall short for one second. The parties have cemented how popular unconventional club venues are, with more and more promoters latching onto historical spaces. We were fed to the lions, spat back out and we can’t wait to do it all again on the 26^th September for the Pier Jam Closing Party.

Like this? Try A Love Affair with DJ EZ 

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