Sankeys' 20th Anniversary only comes around once and with a line-up as strong as this in Glasgow, a city known for its love of underground music, you would expect rain-drenched queues round the building and PRs on every corner. However, this was not the case as I managed to walk straight in at the back of 10pm. Most of the early comers appeared to lurk around the entrance at The Shimmy Café – most likely for the arrival of the acclaimed Romanian trio - Livio & Roby and George G (Premiesku). When they stepped up they provided a warm Romanian sound with tweaks of analogue that worked perfectly as the crowds lingered around the entrance.
I grabbed a drink and moved through into the Dance Arch where Mark Storie was playing some uplifting deep vocal house that the initial punters seemed to be appreciating. In this arch, Toolroom Records selectors Mark Storie, Weiss and Mark Knight were on controls all night. As the crowds flowed through to the middle arch around 11:30pm, Weiss had a full room to play with thanks to Storie. It gave him a license to experiment some of his new tracks such as You and Me while combining old favorites like My Sister. Weiss without doubt kept the crowd content with warming subs, piercing percussion and gentle vocals.
Through in the Sankeys Main Arch, Ibiza favorites Manu Gonzalez, Jozef K and Andrea Oliva were on warm up duties. Whilst it was quiet for the start of the night, possibly due to the main arch being located at the back of the club, a buzz was brewing before the arrival of Darius Syrossian and Sidney Charles - who took the helm in the Sankeys room, going back-to-back for the last two hours. Their set ranged from experimental unreleased tracks to originals like Charles' Warehouse Anthem. The Sankeys crowds always seem to give freedom to the DJs so they can play a wide variety of music to keep everyone engrossed and this is one thing Syrossian does - keeps you on your toes. As the crowds from the Dance Arch poured through to the Sankeys room we heard the weighty kicks that epitomise the 4/4 Sankeys club sound with tracks such as Tuccillo's Password and Syrossian's remix of Charles' Housin Da Rave.
As much as I enjoyed the DJ sets, especially in the Sankeys Arch, it was an event that left a few people slightly dissatisfied. The venue was very open and spacious, which is a contrast to the usually intimate Sankeys experience with low ceilings and friendly faces brushing shoulders; the Sankeys Ibiza basement experience is what people love and it was perhaps a mistake to step away from that kind of atmosphere. Also, unfortunately we could not see Deetron, Ripperton or Dense & Pika as The Studio was closed - this event has been rescheduled for 2nd October.
WORDS | Ramsey Muir PHOTOGRPAHY | The Arches, Glasgow
