Culture Shock throws a party in Dalston with three days’ notice
Last week, in the midst of a heatwave, Culture Shock announced a last-minute show to wave goodbye to summer gigs and we can’t think of a better way to spend one of the last summer evenings of the year.
Having taken place at supposedly a venue that loves creatives and music, Dalston Rooftop disappointed many fans as the evening went on but we’ll touch on that a little bit later.
Opening for Culture Shock was the wonderful Trinity who recently had her BBC Radio 1 drum and bass show debut. It can be quite a lot of pressure to open or play at a venue with such an impressive lineup however the drum and bass newbie handled it like a pro.
Despite Trinty being on quite early on in the night, fans still gathered early to catch her set which many fans were impressed with.
Later on, Krakota took over. Known for his incredible ability to work a crowd, he did not disappoint with his diverse and energetic set. By this point, fans were drenched in electric energy and sweat… is it a good rave if you don’t leave drenched in sweat? we think not.
During his set, the Dalston Rooftop sound police kept interrupting and turning the music down. Now there’s a part of me that understands it being on a rooftop will have some noise regulations however the other part of me, doesn’t understand. In the enclosed part of the rooftop is where the sets took place, with some noise protection in the entryway so having the music turned down every 5 minutes felt a bit overboard. It was still before 9 pm and if you were in the smoking area you hardly hear it which probably suggests it’s not loud enough. The difficulty I have with the venue on this is despite the noise regulation, letting drum and bass DJs take over was a mistake on their part. Drum and Bass gigs are high-energy and loud so I’m unsure what they were expecting. The level of sound the venue wanted was ridiculous, as you could hear everyone’s conversations rather than what usually happens is fans dancing all night.
Drum and Bass is a real inclusive community and Dalston Rooftop felt like a great fit at first however by the end of the night, it seemed they did not have an appreciation for this genre. However, Krakota like the true champion he is, took his chances and turned the music higher.
With worries that Culture Shock might never make it as the venue had made threats to shut it down, his set finally started and fans still kept their high energy for him.
Culture Shock knows who to throw a party, with fans going crazy from the moment he started, turning the music higher giving fans an experience they deserved and paid for. With the whole crowd not missing a moment, sweat dripping down each other’s faces but keeping the love and excitement going which is what a true rave is all about. Unfortunately and as expected Dalton Rooftop shut the party down at the early finish time of 9:30 pm however despite this, there was not one person who didn’t have a good time.
If you like great music, good vibes, and fun people, a Culture Shock gig is what you need to be at. You’ll definitely catch us at another one soon, we won’t miss it.
