Review: In:Motion Presents SubSoul

Bristol’s biggest club brought in YouTube Channel SubSoul to bring one of the strongest line-ups the city has seen this year, for one of their busiest weekends of the season.

Fresh from London’s super-club Fabric, Huxley headlined the main room with support from Waze & Odyssey, who are best known for their 2014 mix of R. Kelly’s Bump n’ Grind. Chris Lorenzo also joined the line up alongside freshly signed Icarus – made up of brothers Tom and Ian.  Bodhi and Apres were the big names heard in room two.

Hidden in an industrial estate in the centre of Bristol, Motion has a worldwide reputation as being one of the best clubs in the UK. As a first time visitor, I was certainly not left disappointed. Motion cemented itself as Bristol’s best club and quite frankly one of the best venues I have ever visited.

Skate park by day, club by night, it clearly shows its warehouse heritage with huge open spaces and bare brick walls everywhere you look. The sound system in the main room was outstanding – often I find myself shoving my way through a thousand people to stand next to a four foot speaker that’s doesn’t produce much more than 3db of sound, but not here. Even on the overlooking balcony towards the back, although you can have a conversation, you don’t feel like you’ve left the place as per most clubs. Interestingly, the second room is essentially a tunnel which provides some interesting acoustics. Also, the lighting here is a lot calmer – great from a break if you’re done with the endless lasers and strobes directed into your retinas.

A clear standout from the night would have to be Chris Lorenzo who was playing until lights on. Although I’ve seen Chris before, this set felt wholly refreshed. Before, his set would usually consist of a 40 minute tease of song Rhymes leading to a disappointing finish. However, he seems to have started to avoid this and some new material he played sounds promising. Ending with Daft Punk was always going to be a crowd pleaser.

The two biggest names of the night, Huxley and Waze and Odyssey, both put on a good show, but not necessarily memorable sets and I was a little disappointed Bump n Grind wasn’t played, but I wasn’t exactly expecting it. I must admit though, both Huxley and Waze would be ones to see again – perhaps they were just a little overshadowed by the other artists on offer.

Icarus was the first big name of the night – playing as most people were coming in, so the crowd were understandably hyped as everyone piled into the main room. The crowd can’t have been the only people excited in the room though. Listening to Danny Howard on the drive up, he broke the news that Icarus were still at number three on the Radio 1 Dance Chart after two weeks at number one and their song ‘Ride This Train’ certainly went down well with the crowd.

Bodhi is also worth mentioning, headlining room two with an ever thinning crowd, played a fairly eclectic set, starting with house and ending with techno and funk. Certainly worth watching if they’re on a line up near you.

Pair a very good club with an outstanding line up and you’re bound to have a good night. If you’re ever in Bristol, Motion is certainly a necessity so long as you’re prepared for the taxi carnage after lights on. 

Venue – 9/10

DJ/Band – 8/10

Music – 9/10

Overall – 9/10