It’s fair to say that Ushuaia made somewhat of an impact on the island last summer. From the roadblock opening party that saw more people outside the venue than it had to numerous amazing line up’s during the course of the season. The outdoor party came back to Ibiza with a bang! During the winter there have been a coupe of minor tweaks, most notably to the stage but, In essence, the party that took Ibiza by storm returns in much the same way that it left off, with a two day opening extravaganza that says, last season was great but you aint seen nothin’ yet!
Sunday and part two of Ushuaia’s grand opening weekend, Fatboy Slim and Groove Armada in the open air. Having been stuck on the outside looking in last summer, adopting a fashionably late attitude that got us nowhere, we were front and centre nice and early to avoid any similar disasters this year. Doorly is chopping and changing, scratching his way through his set. As one of the Ibiza Rocks residents, Doorly normally can be seen warming up for numerous acts throughout the summer and he does it well, but it;’s not until you see him in his natural environment, in charge of the booth in his own right, that the true talent comes out to play. He is a wicked DJ and the capacity crowd in front of the huge Ushuaia stage is warming up nicely.
Next up is Groove Armada, possibly the best live dance combo on the planet. The screen at the back of the stage bursts into life with visuals complimenting the music and throwing light across the massive crowd. It’s not until they move through their set that we realise just how many massive tunes they have been responsible for and when you see Fatboy Slim, the headline for the night, dancing and interacting with the crowd, you know that these are proper house heavyweights. After Groove Armada went super sylin’ into the hearts and minds of everyone it is time for the master of the beach party. Whether it is in Rio for a cast of millions, on the beach in his hometown of Brighton or facing the beach from the iconic stage of Ushuaia, Fatboy Slim has a presence that lights up the night. The atmosphere visibly jumps a notch or two as he takes centre stage.
It’s hard to believe that one man can cause this level of excitement amongst a huge crowd but Norman Cook has a knack of delivering festival nuggets, his tracks always translate across a massive platform and as he kicks off into his set, the huge screens react, pyrotechnics explode and the crowd goes berserk. This is a man who has no problem playing to a massive audience and as he jumps up and down, waving his arms furiously behind the decks, conducting with expertise, everyone in the crowd reacts! From Rockafeller Skank to Praise Me, Ushuaia is under the spell of Fatboy Slim and the Hotel That Changed Everything is up and running for the summer.
Fatboy Slim’s Big Beach Bootique will return to Brighton, to the Amex Stadium on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd June click here to buy tickets.
