Unpredictability is an essential attribute of the ‘One Night With’ series. With a demanding six hour slot, variety and unexpected turns are fundamental to retaining the crowd for the duration.

Floating Points was the latest to step up to the plate and in following Roman Flugel and Ostgut Ton, he certainly had a lot to live up to. Yet unsurprisingly, Sam Shepherd blew away the crowd from beginning to end. Starting with some totally unexpected but very much appreciated funky soul, this upbeat vibe endured throughout the night but transformed into a more techno based sound whilst still encompassing soul and acid house.

Rather than gently meandering through his set, Shepherd kept the crowd on their toes never knowing what to expect next. The most notable turn was Shepherd’s playing of the magical ‘Myrtle Avenue’. The guitar riffs playing out over rolling drums achieved a rare moment of peace in the otherwise busy Wire, really changing the direction of the evening with great success. Instead of using the favourite track as a predictable calming influence on the end of the evening, Shepherd kept the crowd on the edge of their seats by diving back into louder more aggressive tracks following the brief moment of calm.

Shepherd’s distinctive sound combined seamlessly with the quality of the venue to create the perfect atmosphere throughout. Unpredictability, as prescribed, was the essential attribute of this event. Shepherd achieved this with such ease that any overly intoxicated members of the crowd could have easily left Wire feeling as though they had seen multiple, talented artists rather than one.

Maddie Davison