So, knowing relatively little of Jax Jones, besides his smash hits like ‘You Don’t Know Me’ and ‘House Work’, I was interested to see how the set would play out and to my surprise - I enjoyed it!
On the top floor room of the O2 Academy, there was a modest crowd watching the supporting DJ Barely Legal, that edged further towards techno than I expected. At times there were exciting moments, though overlooked as people got their drinks
A Jax Jones icon appeared behind the stage and he later walked on with a helmet caricature of his own face, forcing a wave of excitement through an excitable crowd. The first song was indeed ‘House Work’, which went down a treat with the assistance of two very enthusiastic dancers. Once they had rid themselves of the cylindrical costumes that sported the words ‘Jax Jones presents house work’, their dances were a real asset to the whole performance. Floor fillers like Camelphat’s ‘Cola’ and Jumpman made an appearance also. A mash up of J Hus and ‘Mi Gente’ was equally successful, sustaining an excitement that was established from the beginning of the set.
Official Jax Jones currency was fired into the air with a flurry of smoke made for good entertainment.
Crowd interaction was largely appreciated with Jax taking moment to pause his set while he and his dancers took centre stage to impose choreography on the audience. Demanding a shuffle eight steps to the right was a memorable part of the night, tripping over one another to the lyrics of his collaboration with Demi Lovato, ‘Instruction’.
Jax rounded it all off with a classic. Though I could have predicted that Eric Prydz’s Opus would be played, that didn’t mean I enjoyed it any less. Seeing the drop played to a committed crowd of freshers, while official Jax Jones currency was fired into the air with a flurry of smoke made for good entertainment.
Something of a shame to see most of the crowd desert the O2 Academy while the transition to James Hype’s set took place. It retuned the sense of techno that introduced the night, though with more assuredness that was exuded in Jax Jones’ performance. A distinct neglect of Hype’s own music made way for a fair amount of electronic music that resisted bassline drops characteristic of the DJ’s sound. Allowing me to look past a reoccurring crossfade that repeated the words ‘James Hype Bitch’.
