Saturday 16th February saw Leeds’ favourite basement club celebrate its 13th birthday.
Since opening in 2006, Wire has hosted some great nights in collaboration with some of the world’s best DJs, including Craig Richards, Four Tet, Job Orbison and Ben UFO, to name but a few. Projecting a broad range of dance music through its impressive Funktion One Soundsystem, Wire is, undoubtedly, one of Britain’s best small clubs; it’s intimate 300 capacity space has allowed music-lovers across the country to come together and indulge in the best the underground scene has to offer.
And what better way to celebrate than by inviting one of the best selectors around, Midland, to play an all-night set. Taking his name from Midland Road in Hyde Park, Harry Agius, a former Leeds student, carved a name for himself in the city whilst collaborating with the Hessle Audio crew. Many recognise Agius for his hit track ‘Final Credits’, which helped shoot him further into the limelight after it was named as Mixmag’s 2016 track of the year. No other DJ was more fitting to celebrate Wire’s birthday with, especially as Aigus used to work behind the bar in the club itself.
As expected, Wire was at full capacity and buzzing with students, all seeking warmth after a cold wait in the queue outside. The night was a mixture of techno, electro and house, with flickers of Dubstep littered between the punchy beats. Known for his eclectic mixes ranging through disco to techno, Midland certainly performed to suit everyone’s tastes and artfully demonstrated the enormity of his talent for seamlessly mixing through genres. The night was awash with heavy beats and constant anthems that sent the crowd roaring, fulfilling the night with top quality music.
One particular crowd favourite was a remix by Large Joints of Roy Davis Jr’s garage hit , ‘Gabriel’; a progressive take on what is a UK classic, featuring a powerful trumpet riff that created a mellow groove, keeping the dance floor buzzing with head bobs and two steps. The crowd never faded through the swathes of glitchy noise and throbbing bass, and an overall mixture of songs you couldn’t help but move to.
Molly Langley
(Main image: Resident Advisor)