Friday night kicked off the festivities with trance god Armin van Buuren, and he definitely set the bar high. From the moment he stepped on stage at 1:00am, to when he closed at 7:00am, the energy levels in the room were through the roof, with every single person in the club ready to lose themselves in a state of trance.
Armin took those in attendance on a wild journey. Kicking off with some progressive trance and a number of his classics, he eventually made his way into the deeper stuff as the night went on. By about 2:30am, the Dutch DJ truly had the entire building under a spell, giving us through an impressive display of mashups, originals and a few pleasant surprises, all of which culminated in an epic finale that left people buzzing for the rest of the night.
Even as the hours wore on, the crowd’s energy and enthusiasm never let up. Dropping “Not Giving Up On Love” at around 5:30am sent people into a frenzy, while a “sit down” right near the end of the DJ’s set led to an eruption that was probably felt for miles around the venue.
As someone who has played a number of legendary shows at The Guv, Armin definitely did the venue justice, giving it one final trance night that will not be forgotten any time soon.
Saturday night played host to Knife Party, and as the duo took the stage at 1:30am, the crowd was eager to dive head first into some heavy electro/dubstep. Though the boys were criticized for a surprisingly short set (90 minutes), what they gave us was definitely nothing to scoff at.
From tracks off their new album Abandon Ship, like “404” and the anthemic “Begin Again,” among others, to blasts from the past like “Antidote” and “Save the World,” and of course, classics like “Internet Friends” and “Bonfire,” the crowd was consistently showered in CO2 and confetti as Rob and Gareth’s hard hitting, bass heavy set truly put The Guvernment’s sound systems to the test.
Honestly, for all the flack it got, I really enjoyed Knife Party’s set. Production was top-notch throughout and they played a strong mix of music, one that would please anyone who counts themselves a fan of the Australian DJs. While the 90 minutes was admittedly a bit disappointing, especially for those who paid $100+ to see the show, I think that what we got during that hour and a half was more than satisfying. It was a nice change of pace from Armin’s trance-heavy set and for those who were looking for one last “hard” night at The Guv, Knife Party definitely delivered.
Yet, as the crowds filed out the doors for the second last time, there was one name that was on everyone’s mouth: deadmau5.