Review: Tribal Sessions 14th Birthday Part Two

Photo: Apollonia at Sankeys / Credit: The Manc Photographer

House and techno heads old and new descended on Sankeys this weekend to celebrate Tribal Sessions’ 14th birthday. After so long in the game the night shows no sign of slowing down. Since it was first conceived at the turn of the century, thousands of people have danced to the collective’s offerings across all four corners of the globe.

Saturday brought part two of the birthday celebrations, following Friday’s extravaganza which saw Sankeys’ resident Greg Vickers kick things off alongside Just Be formerly known as Bushwacka! As the commemorations reached their climax, it was clear that Sankeys had gone all out to ensure that this was a milestone that would not be forgotten.

Special guest Chappel got things heated up in the basement, dishing out a mixture of bouncy beats and low slung baselines. As the evening got going, Sankeys’ faithful legion of party people danced alongside freshers new to the city, as the vast space was flooded with Sankeys’ signature captivating light displays.

The live set from Guti was a particularly slick affair (above). Pounding drums met moreish hooks and metallic melodies to creative a heart-pumping audio experience.

Up in spectrum, Mute! really brought the noise. The Manchester based house racket was originally conceived at an illegal rave in Bolton, and since that moment founders Kieran Sharples and Daniel Saunders have come a long way.

They were joined by Mvson Collective and Jacky, who raised the roof and had club nuts swinging from the rafters. As the top floor filled up, juicy drops and hot ticket vocals seamlessly skimmed across a deep sea of house.

As the night went on, Euphoria took hold in the attic and hands went up in the air as funky jolts, beeps and purrs blasted their way through the gargantuan speakers. The top floor was top drawer - make no mistake.

Apollonia, the French house trio who have been setting the underground electronic scene on fire over the last few years, definitely gave punters a show to shout about. The trio, made up of Dyed Soundorom, Shonky and Dan Ghenacia, served up a healthy slice of concentrated house, as sweat-drenched ravers wildly begged for seconds.

There were deeper, more brooding moments in the set (check out their own 'Trinidad' above), which juxtaposed nicely next to the sassy jams that gave a nod to the influence of gay culture and disco in some of the older house tracks.

Over their four hour set, the boys’ tight, upbeat and high octane offerings were met with much appreciation by those ecstatically throwing shapes into the early hours.

From 6 to 7, Chappel was back on the floor taking it to church to finish the Tribal Sessions’ big birthday bash. The vibe was strong, and those hardcore enough to still be there were triumphantly giving it all they had left, and in true Tribal form, ritually sacrificing the hope of doing anything productive on the Sunday.

As the last hot-mess dregs made their way home, it was clear that the birthday bonanza had gone without a hitch (cue final party popper).

2014 is a big year for Sankeys as the Manchester institution is celebrating its 20th. Anyone who shimmied down this weekend to celebrate will leave knowing one thing: even after all this time Sankeys still sets the standard, and with old school favourites like Tribal Sessions in play, it's clear to see why.

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