- DJ Marky and Stamina MC, one of the most prolific duos in drumnbass, had Sydney salivating over their return. With so much excitement leading up to the night, it’s not surprising that the vibe of a full Gaelic Club lifted the roof.
By 11pm a long queue of ticket holders were waiting patiently outside the venue, the muffled bassline of Joose, Fire, and Murda 1 getting the footpath bobbing. While outside you could also hear groups of people talking in Portuguese, or with thick London accents – partisan support for the two stars of the night.
However, once inside it was impossible not to pay full respect to the local lineup. Pounding drums and bass had the crowd jumping, solid tracks complimented by tight mixing.
It was more of the same from Shuey and Tidwell, who whipped the crowd into a frenzy as the Gaelic Club readied for the headliners. And then, there they were, with a cheeky, mischievous grin on their faces and the waiting fans roaring. The crowd surged forward, with dancefloor space set to ‘sardine can’.
Quickly, Marky dropped in some crazy scratching, playing to the crowd as he hammed it up while making short work of the vinyl. Stamina was more than able to keep up, drawing a cheer practically every time he opened his mouth.
The MC showed the versatility that has made him such a favourite, spitting out his own rhymes, echoing the vinyl, and every now and then belting out a soulful vocal.
From a tough yet funked up opening featuring cuts by Marcus Intalex et al, Marky went more percussive and really got the crowd rinsed out. The menacing bass of DJ Hazard – ‘Get the Fuck Up’ featured Stamina shouting out the vocal, and ordering the crowd to “throw your hands in the sky and get the fuck up” – not that they needed any invitation.
Somehow in the middle of the mayhem Marky was able to work in melodic numbers, moments of pure dancefloor bliss with the lilting “have you heard” vocal of High Contrast – ‘Twilight’s Last Gleaming’. Then it was back into the punishing harder stuff and Stamina stole the show when he worked classic lyrics into his rhymes – even Fatman Scoop’s ‘Be Faithful’ got a look in!
However, the standout was when Stamina called on all the ladies in the crowd to “wiggle it, just a little bit”. The vibe never dropped, sections of the up-for-it crowd yelling in unison, a trio even jumping on stage to dance behind Marky with a Brazilian flag.
The intimate, party atmosphere was completed when, for the last twenty minutes or so, Stamina came down into the crowd to work his lyrical magic. The crowd fawned over him. Whilst working the mic he had his head and shoulders massaged by girls behind him, causing him to momentarily slip out of his MC voice and with his north London accent and a huge grin on his face ask, “Is this shit for real?!”
It was all leading up to the tune everyone was waiting for. And as Marky slid a remix of ‘LK’ into the mix, the crowd went completely mad, and I found myself standing right next to Stamina. Being there, able to hear him singing the familiar lyics above the sound system, that was one of those moments that I’ll remember when I look back on my clubbing exploits in years to come. Special.
Stamina got back up on stage for the verse and kept on singing as the track petered out. Marky kept the beat by tapping a record with his finger, ‘thump, thump, th-thump’ – truly mesmerising stuff. With two encores there was more of this vinyl trickery to be had, Marky scratching a lasting impression on the still screaming crowd.
The lights came up and all of a sudden it was 3.30 – the duo had played for half an hour longer than scheduled. But there was one more thing to do. The previous day had been Stamina’s birthday, and even though he prayed and pleaded with the crowd to ignore the calls for an impromptu song, the crowd were more than happy to belt out ‘Happy Birthday’. An unorthodox end to the night, but perhaps one that oddly summed up the friendly vibe.
Ringing ears, knees screaming out in pain, and some unforgettable memories – surely, three day-after signs of a very good outing. The ‘Tornado from Sao Paulo’ is welcome to blow into town anytime.
Until then, Sydney’s own dnb DJs will be a more than ample alternative – the 50/50 and Break&Enter crews slaughtered the Gaelic Club, and I can’t wait for them to do it again.