Size really did matter at Warehouse Project on Friday night as Steve Angello and a number of Size Records regulars delivered some of the biggest progressive house hits of the last five years.
The Swedish superstar, who previously made-up one third of the legendary Swedish House Mafia, brought together a mix of up-and-coming British talent like Nick Coulson and Size Records staples such as AN21, Max Vangeli, Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano.
Nick Coulson kicked off the night in Room 2.
It can’t have been the easiest set for him to play as the crowd was relatively sparse – yet never have we seen one move so much so early in the night.
Coulson grabbed the crowd on entry with a catchy progressive house mix, and Axwell’s In My Mind obviously prompted plenty of hands in the air.
Meanwhile Micky Nelson was rocking Room 3. Another exciting British talent, Nelson harnessed the growing excitement in the audience perfectly with a classic big-room mix.
His remix of Feel So Close by Calvin Harris had the crowd singing like a choir following a hymn sheet.
The main room was beginning to fill with people eager to get in a good position before the arrival of Steve Angell. Sunnery James and Ryan Marciano enjoyed a crowd already buzzing in anticipation by the time they took to the stage.
It was an impressive, inventive set from the Dutch spinners, who are signed to the same Spinnin’ Records label that houses the likes of Avicii and Afrojack.
It seemed the pair could do no wrong and even the curious pick of Otherside by Red Hot Chilli Peppers went down a treat.
Then all was dark before a single beam of light shone through the gloom to reveal Angello – to the sound of raucous cheers.
“Manchester, are you ready?”
He didn’t waste any time, going for the jugular with the first track, non other than the Robin S classic Show Me Love to kick off the set.
Bursts of fire, blasts of smoke cannons and enough confetti to sink a battleship supplemented the house beats as Angello shifted straight into top gear.
It was only a matter of time before the Swedish House Mafia classics surfaced, with the first one to drop being the built-for-big-venues Greyhound, sleekly carrying the crowd into its trance-like epic centre before breaking back down into its squeaky bass-addled groove.
One (Your Name) takes pulsing synths and big beats to the nth degree and then some; it surely comes with a crowd reaction guarantee.
Reload by Angello’s old SHM cohort Sebastian Ingrosso found its fans ready for the theatrics – many choosing to sit down, only to jump up once the bass dropped… a surreal thing to be part of in a venue the size of WHP.
The classics continued to be rolled out, including If I Lose Myself by fellow Swede Alesso and Antidote, the joint venture between SHM and Knife Party which was greeted by a gargantuan indoor pyrotechnics display.
Fans were treated to several tunes from Until Now, the final Swedish House Mafia compilation as the set drew nearer to its conclusion, which came about with the familiar sound of Don’t You Worry Child, spliced perfectly with Pendulum’s The Island for a stunning pyrotechnic-fuelled finale.
Picture courtesy of Mark Runyon and ConcertTour.org, with thanks.
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