Innervisions at Royal Albert Hall

  • The beloved label goes all out at the world-renowned concert venue.
  • Share
  • In a moment between songs, the vocalist Ry looked over the dance floor and up into the ornate tiers of seating in front of him. "Let's hold this beautiful space together," he said. Royal Albert Hall, a Victorian concert space with Italianate architecture and a capacity of more than 5000, has hosted many kinds of events since opening in 1871. But a party for one of the world's most famous dance music labels? This was a milestone for both the venue and Innervisions, who had partnered with the local promoter London Warehouse Events. These days, Innervisions events are rare in London. On Friday, perhaps because of the heightened sense of occasion, the hum of excited chatter almost drowned out the early performances. The audience of avid fans, dressed up and mostly in black, failed to engage with Henrik Schwarz & Bugge Wesseltoft's "Scripted & Prepared Pianos"—until the end when the beat kicked in. This was a shame because the synergy between the two artists, who sat either side of the stage behind grand pianos and flanked by synthesisers, was obvious. They executed perfectly synchronised crescendos and diminuendos, with pealing piano chords reverberating off the huge white acoustic diffusers that hung from the ceiling. (The venue calls them "mushrooms.") During Frank Wiedemann's live set as Âme, which featured a chiming rendition of "Rej" and the guttural vocoder of Gudrun Gut, it became clear that everyone was here to dance, not sway to intricate piano riffs. The stage at Royal Albert Hall sits in front of an enormous organ. Rows of seats stretch up into the rafters, with an oblong area in the centre that, on Friday, served as the dance floor. Those who had seats didn't use them for long, and groups of friends danced in the aisles. About 20 spotlights shone from the organ, illuminating the space in warm yellows and reds. A huge cube in the centre of the stage displayed flashing shapes, artist names and inky vortexes. Encircled by icy blue structures, Ry and Wiedemann impressed in their ability to bring tenderness to the dance floor as Howling. The combination of swelling synths and Ry's soft vocals lifted hands into the air during "Phases" and, to finish, they delivered an extended version of "Howling." As the crowd waited expectantly for the arrival of Dixon and the other half of Âme, Kristian Beyer, a flurry of strobes suddenly flashed behind us, revealing the two DJs at the back of the dance floor. Everyone did a 180 and a circular lighting structure slowly lowered from the ceiling, stopping to hover above the crowd. Emblazoned on the cube were the words "INNERVISIONS 2018." Their back-to-back was the label at its best, 90 minutes of big, atmospheric tracks like All Is Well's "Is It (Version 1)." Some cynics may have wondered whether a party like this would work at Royal Albert Hall. The venue team were aware of the scepticism. "We're obviously not a typical club space," said programming manager Dave Gamble. "But we hopefully helped to create a very special and unique atmosphere." That they did. As the final bars rang out across the auditorium, someone next to me screeched, "If Queen Victoria could see us now!" Photo credit / Luke Dyson
RA