- XOYO's residency programme has been a major factor in the club's growing popularity. The series has seen Skream, Benji B, Eats Everything and others take over the club for 12 weeks at a time in a role that blurs the boundaries between talent booker and in-house DJ. The nights are not just wildly popular, they've also produced some truly memorable moments. Just one example saw Mos Def, A$AP Rocky and JME make a surprise appearance with Skepta on Benji B's debut night. Credit's due to XOYO for trying such a bold concept. It's required vision, cash and ambition with no guarantee of success. In fact, XOYO's owner, Andy Peyton, once told me that DJ agents thought "nobody would want to see the same DJ after four weeks." That's categorically not been the case.
Bicep seem like a safe bet to continue the upward trajectory. Their nights at Oval Space, a nearby and slightly larger space, were routinely packed. Unsurprisingly, when I arrived at XOYO the club was absolutely heaving. The numbers were swelled by Lovebox festival, which had gone down nearby in Victoria Park earlier in the day. On entering the venue it seemed like the crowd were already three sheets to the wind. For anyone just limbering up it was hard to get on the same level. A lack of space failed to dampen the atmosphere: both rooms were breathlessly going off all night.
Space Dimension Controller's set of fast, goofy rave music went down particularly well. Freaky Aphex Twin synths, acid squeals and Amen breaks sat next to sugary pop-trance melodies. SDC's approach is refreshing. He mixes serious music with a sense of fun. Check out his Instagram and you're more likely to see pictures of cats than rare vinyl. He even played Chicane's "Salt Water" at the recent AVA festival, a move that takes a certain twisted sense of humour.
Jeremy Underground's retro-tinged house maintained the momentum afterwards. The Parisian DJ focused on the more obscure and jacking sections of his record collection, and his energy behind the decks was something to behold. He furiously head-banged and danced through his set, pulling dance moves that seemed incongruous with the soulful sounds he often favours. By the end his t-shirt was drenched in sweat. Things were less intense in room two, where Marcel Vogel was playing a classy disco set for Studio 89. Switching between tracks like Jamie 3:26 & Cratebug's "Hit It And Quit It," Peven Everett's "How Bad I Want Ya" and Fela Kuti's "Roforofo Fight," the Lumberjacks In Hell boss kept things varied and lively throughout.
The music across the night was great. The only complaint was that the venue was sometimes a little too packed to fully enjoy it. Regardless, Bicep's run at XOYO is likely to remain one of London's most in-demand club nights.