“It’s nice to be back in Leeds,” grinned Bradley Zero, a sentiment repeated throughout The Fav as the city’s keenest party-goers kept the Fresher’s dream alive into its second week. When you come to Leeds, either as a new or returning student, you get the sense that anything is possible. There’s always a night out on the cards, and a good one at that. Tuesday night saw two of the world’s finest DJs make their return to the motherland, so it would have been rude not to, wouldn’t it?

A strong affinity and understanding could be felt between Eliphino, Bradley Zero and the feverish Leeds crowd, who formed a kind of Holy Trinity in house heaven. And although it wasn’t rammed, this allowed for a nice loose floor to match Zero’s jazzy, free-form disco house. All our mid-week cares dissolved with a soulful set that combined thumping, tribal percussion with cool lounge piano, before exploding with that euphoric piano riff from Todd Terje’s Strandbar.

Eliphino’s set was similarly disco-inspired, as it began with a slice of Michael Jackson and continued with a warm blend of filthy, funky techno. DJ Gregory’s Canoa was an inspired and galvanising Afro selection, but the night’s grandest moment came as the frantic vocal line of Eliphino’s own More Than Me slowly faded in. It’s a track that sounds increasingly like a classic, and the same can be said for these two DJs; they appear iconic, Zero with hisbouncy dreads and Eliphino with an inscrutable expression that peers from beneath his cap.As long as these guys keep playing party-starting sets, they could become truly legendary. Come what may, they have already earned that level of esteem among their Leeds faithful. I’m sure they’ll be back.

Oliver Walkden

Photographer: Aron Gaspar