On arriving at Pure Pacha last night I could tell before I got in the doors that this night continues to be a success. Every queue was packed, spilling out onto the street, at least a half hour-wait back. People were still clamouring to buy tickets on the door, keen to catch Hardwell, Chris Lake, John Dahlback and Dannic.
Once inside, I could see this clubbing Mecca had stayed true to its name... This gorgeous and glamorous venue is always visually impressive as it is, and as Saturdays are dedicated to ‘embodying the open spirit, freedom and fun of the original Pacha', you can imagine they pull out all the stops to celebrate their global achievement and the sound that put them on the map. Silver streamers poured from the ceiling onto the packed dance floor and onto the male and female dancers in their sequin-frosted cat suits. A huge globe swung from the ceiling, a symbol of all the different musical and cultural influences mixing together over one night.
Chris Lake's set was fantastic, and a great way of warming everyone up for Hardwell himself. He played a great mix of other hits and his own tracks, including Sundown. The walking bass line in this song is perfect for Pacha's sound system which really did it justice, and his track Ohh Shh, which he played towards the end of the set, had everyone's feet off the floor and hands in the air.
As his set came to a close, the entire crowd began to chant The White Stripes' Seven Nation Army. I've heard this being chanted before the headliner a few times already this summer, and if anyone has any idea who started it I would love to know... There is nothing quite like hearing the whole of Pacha in its entirety singing this at the top of their lungs in anticipation.
A hooded Afrojack snaked through the unsuspecting crowd to announce that the moment these partiers had been waiting for was here - Hardwell was hitting the decks. Camera phones flashed in the dark like stars in an Ibiza night sky as he opened with his track Spaceman and the lights came up on the DJ booth. His set had a lot of theatre to it, full of suspense and delicious drops. Clearly Pacha was awarded the highest confetti budget this season, and the smoke cannons were also working overtime, making sure that they had every sense covered. Hardwell played samples of Swedish Houes Mafia's Antidote and We'll Be Coming Back by Example and Calvin Harris, along with Armin van Buuren's hit This is What it Feels Like.
Even with so much choice this summer, lots of new parties and a full calendar of competition, Pure Pacha is still going strong- we can expect this to be another summer Saturday nights and great music, glitter and a gorgeous clientele.
Photography by James Chapman
