Inland Knights are a near household name for house fans and DJs specialising in the unbroken side of electronica. With almost every house DJ of any form of reputation owning at least one of their singles, and boasting a rather more than credible production and performance past, the night was set for a completely off the hook event.
Upon entering Ambar, however, this was not to be completely the case. Having arrived slightly late, there was a feeling of slightly underwhelming missives – what should have been a completely packed club was at that stage, less than half full. Despite comments of a great turnout on internet forums, this was not entirely the case. On first impressions, turnout appeared to have been a bit below par, Ambar as a venue is often packed to the rafters even on a locals only night, and the absence of even a small line at 1am.
We entered in time to hear Terry Waites playing a completely uplifting and banging set. With great prelude tune selection, the slightly underweight crowd began to move towards the dance floor. To his credit, by the end of his set, Terry had an almost full dancefloor brocking out to a genuinely great set.
The name Inland Knights has always been of keen interest, and the general enthusiasm held at hearing them play was tangible. What followed was unfortunately, a slightly disappointing performance. For a full hour, Inland Knights played extremely minimal house – little no to vocals hook in evidence keeping the tunes fairly wrapped up.
Into the second hour, the Knights set into party mode, vocal hooks and all – but it seemed that some lethargy had set in. The stalwart continued though, and there were several murmured “Man, this is great” but for the majority, it did not seem as though the punters were feeling it. Perhaps the minimal introduction didn’t quite click with those punters who were more there for party-mode. That said, the Knights mixing and general stagecraft were impeccable, and those who were stalwart fans of both the genre and the producers were left entirely satisfied, and ecstatic by the end of their set.
Afterwards, Flex and Ben Mac took to the decks and pursued the evening. Gritty, techy and jumped up electroesque house and breaks were the order for the rest of the evening, and they measured them out in both style and finesse, despite the dwindling dance floor.
This was definitely a night in which the locals showed up the Internationals – and as the case continues, our very own heroes prove once again that they have the skills to take on even the most lofty of international acts. Perhaps more support could have been shown by Perth’s house crew – when such luminaries as Inland Knights appear on our shores one wonders where the throngs of fan lining up for half an hour to witness them actually were? On a positive note, Ambar continues to attempt to bring new sounds and new experiences to the true punters, not just the masses – and that exploration of the new is the saving element of any event that does not live up to a reviewers expectations.
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