Last weekend, Resident Advisor hosted a night at Canal Mills, with Ten Walls returning for the first time since his sold-out show at Halloween.

ONEMAN opened the night, and shockingly closed his set with Nina Simone’s cover of “I Put a Spell on You”. It was played it in its original entirety, complete with solos. At this point people were looking around at each other slightly bemused. This was before Artwork came onto the decks, and perhaps ONEMAN was making a nod at the soul/disco/house fusion that Artwork would bring for the next hour. Or perhaps a reference to ’50 Shades of Grey’, as it’s used in the new films soundtrack. His funky fusion of disco and house changed the pace of the night, and despite the jarring introduction it got people dancing.

Next up, who we’d all been waiting for: Ten Walls. Most striking was the difference in his visuals, that brightly lit up the room. This should have been amazing, but instead it highlighted how the room was half full. You couldn’t help but feel it would have been better with a livelier, busier crowd. As expected, ‘Walking with Elephants’ was kept until the end of his set, but felt a little stale. The track that reached number 6 in the charts, and being such a hit in the summer it was surprising that it didn’t seem to have as much as an impact.

Despite the music being good, the lack of atmosphere in the room dampened the mood. The second room was shut, although it was advertised as open on the event. The music cut out a good few times, and it just didn’t feel as slick or prepared as some other house nights that are held in Leeds.

 

 

[Hannah Ng]

Photos: Justin Gardner