Glastonbury ’15: our day-by-day review
We’re at Glasto all weekend. Here’s what’s going down
Hodge proved how much of a great new talent he is
We've repped Hodge since day one and it made our night to see him play to a bursting Wow! stage at 10pm. He was effectively warming up for the JESuS takeover (Jackmaster, Eats Everything, Skream, Seth Troxler) and he turned out a lively selection that displayed his tough, bashy, bass-heavy style as well as an appreciation of the crowd, who by this time were hungry for things to get going.
We squeezed our way in as he blended Kowton's 'Glock & Roll' with his own 'Prototype Fear', showcasing the rhythmic, subby techno that both he and Kowton, as well as other UK artists like Alex Coulton, Beneath, Batu and Facta are pushing. It was great to hear niche scene cuts like this roll out of a massive system for thousands of people to enjoy.
From there, the Bristol artist had full control of what must have been one of the biggest sets of his career so far. Tracks by DJ Deeon, Radioslave and Floorplan followed, as well as a system-testing section of breakbeat-heavy tracks, that brought the vast tent to a steady bubble (he also gave us our first Glasto 'moment' by playing Rudeboyz's 'Sambuca Dance', which is out now via Goon Club, at the same time as we bumped into label co-founder Moleskin. Awww!)
Hodge has been rising for a minute now. His recent EP for Untold's Hemlock is his best work yet and his ability to command peak-time slots like this shows that he's definitely got the chops as a DJ. We've told you enough times already: get to know!
JESuS played a house party set to several thousand people
Jackmaster, Eats Everthing, Skream and Seth Troxler are all world-renowned DJs. They're also good friends who like to enjoy good times together. It makes sense, then, that they've formed JESuS, an underground supergroup who play spontaneous sets at some of the biggest festivals in the world (hey, Coachella). Their takeover of the Wow! stage was the biggest billing on Thursday night, attracting a crowd that filled the tent to its seems, with hundreds more people gathering outside. They play back-to-back in traditional one-on, one-off fashion and create something of a house party vibe on-stage, cheering each other and the crowd on, dishing out hi-fives, constantly messing with EQ and effects and dancing like no-one's watching.
Seeing them together is a salivating prospect and there's not really a unit like them anywhere else in dance music. However, their approach can feel a bit disjointed: their thundering set on the Wow! was let down by uneven volume, FX-drenched breakdowns and bouts of ambitious mixing that didn't quite work out. It was like watching four mates go ham in front of all their mates in a living room, which was cool but maybe a bit more control was needed for such a big venue in the midst of such a momentous occasion.