I have been absolutely dying to see Joy Orbison for months and months, so the fact that he was to be at our beloved Wire for my own freshers finale (who says postgrads cant enjoy freshers’ week?) was an absolute godsend. As expected it was a sell-out event, the nooks and crannies of the intimate underground club all filled with party-goers, and for good reason: this was guaranteed to be a belter of a night.

With support from Bruce, a beautifully talented DJ with releases on the legendary Hessle Audio and Dnuos Litvil labels, the bar for the night had been set high, commencing with a cunning coalescence of techno, house and disco. Joy O took to the decks shortly after 1am, and followed Bruce’s lead with a pounding set, including some cracking acid and garage tracks.

The crowd was as relentless as the BPMs, failing to diminish until well into the small hours of the morning, seemingly crediting the lure of Joy O and his DJing abilities. As always, the Function 1 sound system in the venue was clear as crystal, giving groovers real immersion and excitement in the tracks. A particular moment of euphoria was hearing the throb of Dwayne Young by Frits Wentink ooze from the speakers (a favourite track of the summer).

However, where I am usually frantically shazamming or taking notes on my phone, the night came and went somewhat uneventfully. Don’t get me wrong, the DJing was first class, the record collection and diversity absolutely second to none, but there was nothing mind-blowing or particularly memorable for me. Scouring the Identification of Music Group on Facebook post-event enlightened some excellent tunes and makes me wonder whether I didn’t see the night’s true worth – I’ll gladly give Bruce and Joy Orbison another attempt to blow me away in due course…

Flora Tiley

(Image: facebook.com/wireclub)