Review: We Love... Sankeys Ibiza

Image: Sankeys Ibiza

We Love… has been one of the most infamous parties on the White Isle for 17 years. Leaving the ever-popular slot at Space on Sundays to host a Wednesday night at one of the newest clubs on the island, Sankeys, seemed undoubtedly a gamble.

Darren Hughes, We Love… promoter, knows what he’s doing though. With over 25 years experience in putting on huge parties which stems back from a night called Cream he started with James Barton in Liverpool in the nineties – maybe you’ve heard of it?

As we arrived at Sankeys Ibiza we headed straight into the Basement room - which was actually designed with the dimensions of the original Manchester Sankeys in mind. It's quite a surreal experience knowing you’re in Ibiza but standing in a space which replicates a venue you know so well back home - but it works. 

2Vilas came to the end of their set, then passed over to Dusky. Dusky are no strangers to a multi-hour set and they held the fort in the basement for a full 3 hours.

London based musicians Nick Harriman and Alfie Granger-Howell are masters of variation, deep house is merged with more melodic and minimalistic episodes, suiting the confines of the Sankeys Ibiza Basement room perfectly. Tracks from their latest Ordinary World EP are already making their way into the anthems of the summer, with 'Skin Deep' (above) being the track of the night.

NVOY had Spektrum bouncing before the headline Rudimental DJ set. The duo had just announced their signing to Black Butter Records the day previous, so the party was rife. They fuse their house influence with RnB and electronic, creating something pretty special and fresh. Their latest offering ‘You Are’ went down a storm to an already hyped up crowd, proving that these guys are definitely ones that you should be keeping on your radar.

As Rudimental took over Spektrum, the room was packed with revelers pushing through from the stairs to be in the thick of it. From the word go, Rudimental brought a blistering energy to the stage that was insanely infectious. Each member of Rudimental got behind the decks at some point, switching and mixing between tracks from Marley classics to glitchy DnB, adding their own flavor to the set as it grew and evolved organically.

‘Waiting All Night’, their hit with Ella Eyre, was dropped pretty early and the floor of Sankeys felt as if it would implode with hundreds of fans jumping up and down to the beat. It was am amazing sight. We were treated to some new material which we were informed hadn’t even been played in one of their sets yet.

It was ‘I Will For Love’, another feel-good track from the guys, featuring some gorgeous, easy to pick up and catchy vocals from Will Heard. The night ended with the huge hit that really started it all for them, ‘Feel The Love’. All the house lights went on during the chorus and the room was filled with faces of absolute delight. The final song was a completely fitting way to end a raucous set.

The We Love… move to Sankeys just works. It’s kept the brand fresh and it now has its finger on the heartbeat of the island by joining forces with Sankeys. As We Love… continues making waves in Ibiza, we look forward to seeing what this unstoppable duo can pull out of the bag next.

Check out We Love...'s upcoming line ups and grab your tickets.

Tickets are no longer available for this event