The Warehouse Project’s Store Street opened two of its three rooms for the night, somewhat problematically, as it welcomed excitable fans of the legendary Underworld.

Underworld gave a relentless performance, one that more than made up for the slight crowding issues. Early on they played their breakbeat classic “Pearl’s Girl”, one of my favourite songs, with everyone dancing along in unison. Later on, they gave a live debut to a new track the duo had made with London techno artist ø [Phase]. This song had a darker tone then a lot of the other stuff they played, and was perfect for the gritty warehouse setting it was played in. The lighting was excellent, even for WHP’s standards, and really added to the show.

Underworld played songs from across the broad spectrum of their discography, from their classic dubnobasswithmyheadman to their recently released collaboration with Iggy Pop. It is a testament to their lasting impact in the dance music scene that their songs are still so relevant.

As you looked over the crowd, the majority of the people looked like they went to Underworld gigs in the 90’s and early 2000’s. I was one of the youngest people in the crowd but it was a nice reminded to see that older people like to let loose just as much as my generation, a true teller of their fantastic ability.

At the end of the set they played their live mix-up of “Rez” and “Cowgirl”, and then closed with an extended version of the song everyone was waiting for “Born Slippy (Nuxx)”. The atmosphere for this song was unlike anything I had previously experienced. Everyone in the crowd singing the words, dancing together; there seemed to be a real togetherness between everyone around for the first time in the night. Seeing such an iconic song performed live is a moment I will treasure for the rest of my life.

Lawrence Cwerner

(Main image: Rob Jones; The Warehouse Project)