Review: Cowbell Radio presents ALFOS and Daniel Avery

Photo: Daniel Avery // Credit: Cowbell Radio

Tucked away behind the curry houses which line Rusholme’s Wilmslow Road, there’s a party going on. Oblivious to its immediate surroundings, the grand old house which has now been given the name the Antwerp Mansion is a hotbed of anarchic, anti-establishment behaviour.

But those type of scenes are not exclusive to the evening’s event, The Mansion is always like this. It is yet though, to see such a preposterously outlandish line up as this. With two stalwarts of underground electronica lined up alongside a couple of up and coming artists, both whom are on the radar’s of producers, selectors and club goes across the globe.

Strewn over the two floors, and many coves and corners which were open for the evening’s entertainment, are a hundred or more lost souls. All have come together for the marathon event starring Andrew Weatherall & Sean Johnston's A Love From Outer Space, London Producer Daniel Avery and a strong support set from Craig Bratley (Read our recent interview with him here).

Admittedly not arriving until the second half of the five hour marathon set from Weatherall and Johnston, in a flash the immediate force of the heat and the sound of dark, rhythmic techno in the densely packed main room is all too clear, and clearly I’d missed the start of a truly special day.

Dapper fella Weatherall, the selector extraordinaire, and his co-conspirator Johnston had unquestionably roused the entire building, delving into their record bags and unleashing boundless and towering techno tremendously for five long, but seemingly short hours.

The 1800’s structure rattled and the would be squatters occupying the building were certainly giving the Mansion, which was once a private home, a new demeanor as the Saturday night ‘after-hours joint’ to be at in Manchester.

At 1am it was time for the headline act. Daniel Avery, who dropped one of 2013’s great albums, Drone Logic (above), took to the decks amid rapturous ovation and applause for the two men who preceded his entrance.

Anticipating the lull in acclaim from those wedged into the downstair gig Room, Avery, a man lauded and supported by the ingenious Erol Alkan, then went above and beyond and delivered a set which whirred, buzzed, jazzed and clapped spectacularly.

He delivered an atmospheric techno set of dark, gruelling, rhythmical, motoring energy. It all flowing effortlessly through thumping acid basslines which all too soon (for myself as a latecomer) took the event through to closing time. 

It didn’t matter one bit that the event was moved from Salford’s Islington Mill and across the Irwell, into the beating heart of Rusholme. The Mansion playing perfect hideaway host for the love and the ransacked chaos of the occasion which threw up many fantastic moments, all without a trouble maker in sight.