Epic House of Legends line up will give ravers a real Easter treat
Ravers will be born again this Easter with one of most exciting line ups of dance acts in Birmingham this year.
House of Legends is taking over Digbeth's The Mill on Saturday from 2pm to 3am and cramming four rooms full of the kind of talent which would see queues round the block on any Saturday in the 1990s.
Shades of Rhythm are giving you another chance to dance with them again when with a set of 1990s anthems which were ubiquitous on dance floors, from warehouses to super clubs as well as the "tinny hardcore" car stereos of yesteryear. Sound of Eden, Exacty and Sweet Sensation are guaranteed to fill a floor but woven together by the masters who made them?
It will be a shared euphoric experience that ravers will be having flashbacks at work later next week and should be firmly placed in the pocket labelled "I was there."
The old faithful of the rave scene Jeremy Healy is also on the bill and as ever, if in doubt which room to go to, or which friend to follow, watch Jeremy on the 1s and 2s and you will be rocking your socks off.
His set at Legends in the Park in a rainy Perry Barr in 2019, was unforgettable, well it is for me, because I wandered out of the Flashbank tent and into something all the more sophisticated and stuck around as Mr Healey was on the deck. Rocking my socks off I saw the love of my life for the first time glide across the muddy dancefloor to some mutual friends, and thanks to Mr Healey spinning tunes which my mid-40-something body could actually dance to, I nailed the first impression, got her number and am still with her.
If its an iconic image of the rave scene you want seared into your brain then Altern 8 will provide it. Wearing PPE out and about before it became a thing, Altern 8 are as instantly recognisable as their tunes Come With Me, and Move My Body.
However, the act which jumped out of the poster to me was Cleveland City Records DJ set, the record label whose red and white skyline silhouette graced some of the most innovative and unforgettable tunes of the era.
Hey Mr Dj (no not that one) Keep on Moving (that one) is house music perfection. The break in the 12 inch of Screen II's Hey Mr DJ will be THE moment of the whole weekend. If I am at the bar, in the toilet or in the wrong room for that epic slice of limb flailing dancefloor scorching electronic dance music, I will be seething all the way to Christmas.
The label presided over tunes Rhyme Time Productions, You And Me, Eve Gallagher, You Can Have it All and Direct 2 Disc, Don't Stop among others and seeing them on a line up is a rare treat.
Tony Di Bart, remember him? Cleveland City Records released his biggest hit, and is doing a live PA on the main stage. He might finally answer the question whether she ever did stay the night and soothe his mind as he belts out The Real Thing for the umpteenth time, expect Turn Your Love Around too as he proves he was not just a house one hit wonder.
Is his hair still long? Will he wear sunglasses indoors? Has he finally grown into those baggy clothes he spent what seemed a decade wandering around various beaches in the Real Thing's 1993 video.
In room 2, Speed Garage and Handbag House, headlining is 187 Lockdown, whose hit Gunman, sampling the pocket watch tune from For a Few Dollars More, was one of the 1990s most unforgettable tunes. It sounds just as good today as it did when life was simpler and dancing with a mobile phone in your pocket could cause a hernia.
Familiar names in the second room include Clinton Shawe, Ric James, Dave Oldershawe, Simon Baker and the two promoters of the event Davey Boy and DJ Felton.
Room three is a homage to Bakers, the Five Way Clubs which ruled the city's house club roost for a while in 1995 and 1996, the Bakers Anthem rooms will see Richie Roberts, Brent Cross and Chad Lewis. It is unknown whether Lee Hughes will be making a special appearance clutching a bottle of water like in his free scoring WBA heyday.
Room four is Are You All Ready? Which will give hard house heads the tunes with the most electronic beats per minute in the building with Andy Farley, Craig Regan, Andy Manston and Sarah G among others will be providing the sped-up bangers.
As well as seasoned live acts and international headliners the set includes the majority of DJs who became Brummie household names by either being residents or guests at The Steering Wheel, Miss Moneypennies, Bakers and Subway City.
Promoter Michael Felton said: "House of Legends will be a fantastic event, we have already sold 1200 tickets so far so the atmosphere will be brilliant. Expect a trip down memory lane and hear your favourite anthems from early to late 1990s.
"There will be four rooms with different music in, from club classic to speed garage bangers, there something for everyone, and don't forget its a day & night event from 2pm to 3am."
And what's better Monday is a bank holiday which will give any creaking bones and pulled muscles caused by shocking out to a long forgotten classic an extra 24 hours before returning to work.
For the full line up and to buy tickets for House of Legends at The Mill, Digbeth, on Saturday visit https://www.skiddle.com/whats-on/Birmingham/The-Mill-/The-house-of-Legends----Day--Night-Event---Saturday-8th-April-/36241619/.
