It was a typical Friday night at Wire, with a queue stretching out of the door and onto the ever-buzzing Call Lane. I spoke to an overly enthused club-goer, off his head with excitement for the “unpredictability of Pearson Sound’s sets.” Having not been to a Pearson Sound set before, my education has been developed on Youtube, with tracks such as ‘Glut’ and ‘Work Them’ from his Ramadanman days, alongside countless Boiler Room sessions. I came expecting a strong dose of left-of-centre garage, breakbeat and house, and was very much intrigued by the talk of an absolute curve-ball set.

However, I was sadly mistaken. Disco- house prevailed as I set foot in the Wire basement: a classic Leeds ‘sound’ and one which I am very much an advocate for at the right moments. But personally, Friday was not the night. Perhaps he felt an urge to cultivate his set around a homage to his old stomping ground of the Hessles, of which his record label is named after. Combined, maybe, with returning to play Acetate’s 25th installment, a popular all-vinyl event which he has cultivated. However, there were nods to his signature garage tendencies, interspersed with evolving emphasis on techno and acid beats as the night wore on.

Unfortunately, I was left feeling flat. I came to his set to be challenged with what I heard – but it felt like I was enclosed in a safety net of much which I have listened to before. I never reached the scale of euphoria of last week’s Butter Side Up with Vera and Jane Fitz. What did save the night, however, was the crowd. Being arguably the only female in an all-male crowd can be daunting, especially when you’re 5’ 2”. So I want to take this opportunity to thank the guys who asked if I would like to stand in front of them so I could see better. The view was great.

Tori Clarkson