Pendulum (DJ set) blast Big Reunion Weekend 2 to a close
The Big Reunion Weekend 2 review
Monday 30th November 2009
After the late night last night we arise at 3.00pm, we check the lanyards to see what's on. Last year's afternoon fun comprised of male strippers for the girls in Reds & female strippers & pole dancers for the lads in Centre Stage. This year Club 18-30 new owners must think that kind of thing is inappropriate so provide an afternoon of wrestling which we decide to give a miss & watch the tennis instead.
We cook some frozen pizzas for tea, have a few drinks & make our way to the skyline. Brett & Leroy are spinning the party tunes as the vip arena is sealed off so we can be entertained by fire wielding jugglers, backed by exotic dancers & guys dressed in arctic suits sparking the angle grinders over the crowd.
Saturday night in the Centre Stage is band night & tonight's openers are Liverpool five-piece electro-pop outfit Soft Toy Emergency. The start has been delayed by twenty minutes to allow the Big Reunion Weekenders to make their way from their chalets, so they don't miss that all important Saturday night television spectacular I'm A Celebrity & X Factor!!! Lead singer Jen is very attractive which always wins brownie points for me & has that rock chic look down to a tea along with an interesting voice too. She bops around the stage with more energy than Duracell bunny, new single Critical is a very polished affair, my favourite track of the set was 'White Light'.
We head back to the Skyline where Radio 1's Chappers & Dave have brought their brand of fun to Butlins. If you are familiar with the Chris Moyles then you will have heard the large man himself rip their show to bits. Fortunately for us it is all good entertaining fun, the music is party style as are their audience games. They search the audience for a girl named Caroline, finding one they drag her on stage, hand her some sweets & get her to throw them out to the crowd whilst they strike up Neil Diamond's 'Sweet Caroline'. Yes you see what they did there? Sweet Caroline???? Yes, very sophisticated but all good fun...
Back to Centre Stage, where we catch a very drunken crowd singing along to The Holloways. The Centre Stage has now filled up; I guess the X Factor has finished on the TV getting the guests to actually attend some good music... We make a run for Jaks as the weather has now turned torrential. Inside are The Ratpack fronted by MC Evenson Allen. Having been on the dance scene for what seems like an eternity their old skool beats create a little nostalgia 'I Need Your Lovin' being a particularly fine hands in the air moment.
We hurry back through the dreadful rain & now huge lakes forming on the walkway back to the Centre Stage to catch tonight's headliners The Wombats. I must admit to having a soft spot for The Wombats upbeat tunes & energetic performances & tonight was no different. 'Kill The Director' gets the Centre Stage bouncing proper for the first time tonight, with its chorus more infectious than a swine flu virus, get’s fists raised & voices shouting it even higher. The indie fun boys raise the roof into the stratosphere with the superb 'Let's Dance To Joy Division' with the Centre Stage building quaking under all the pogoing happening. A truly great headline set. With a new album due to drop next year, a tour will surely follow.
With the live music drawing to a close we head over to Reds to catch the Pendulum (DJ set) + MC Verse. Now I have never seen a Pendulum DJ set & was pleasantly surprised to see it literally being a DJ mixing tunes with Pendulum lead singer Ben Mount present. Mixing various drum & bass tunes with their own tunes, I waited for crowd pleaser 'Propane Nightmares' which had teaser notes thrown in throughout the set. Eventually it goes full blast & Mount is stalking with hunched shoulder to each side of the stage. The Centre Stage was full to bursting for the Pendulum set. After having a good dance session with Pendulum we called it a night and headed through the dreadful hail stone storm to the chalet.
If you met friends or lovers with a Club 18-30 holiday then the Big Reunion Weekend is a perfect way to have a great weekend & rekindle holiday relationships. The 360 degree music policy is refreshing works surprisingly well. Even the Saturday afternoon entertainment whilst not up to everybody's taste is a welcome relief from the non-stop music.
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