For the first time post-lockdown, legendary British house duo Basement Jaxx returned to Melbourne at the Timber Yard in Port Melbourne. The event was hosted by Rodd Richards Presents and T1000 Events.
The all-day electronic-music extravaganza featured dance music icons Basement Jaxx and Roger Sanchez both headlining the event. They were accompanied by party favourites Johnny Sonic, Sgt Slick, Casey Leaver and more.
Hundreds packed two stages at the Timber Yard despite the icy weather on Sunday. The venue provided ample space for partygoers to go all out on the dance floor to Basement Jaxx’s number one hits ‘Where’s Your Head At,’ ‘Red Alert,’ ‘Romeo,’ ‘Good Luck,’ ‘Do Your Thing’ as well as all their latest house anthems.
Basement Jaxx have been a crowd-favourite duo for over 25 years, with their last tour of Australia being sold out in 2019.
The pair is made up of Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe. They have received BRIT and Billboard music awards and over a dozen other international awards for their electronic dance music hits.
The widely anticipated tour had been twice postponed due to the pandemic which allowed Rodd Richards Presents and T1000 Events to add dance music star Roger Sanchez to the line-up.
“A big thank you to everyone who has supported us and kept their tickets for the original Basement Jaxx show! As a special surprise, we’ve added the incredible Roger Sanchez,” said Rodd Richards.
New York City’s own Roger Sanchez has had multiple residencies in Ibiza and has won a Grammy for his remix of No Doubt’s ‘Hella Good’ which was a crowd favourite at last night’s event.
He has also worked with stars Daft Punk, Robbie Williams, Madonna, Alicia Keys, and others. He brought house and funk classic hits and introduced new house anthems to the Timber Yard for his set last night.
The main decks provided the perfect energetic atmosphere for last night’s celebration with multi-coloured led lights, sprawling parallel visual graphics and the artists in close proximity to the crowd.
Basement Jaxx and Roger Sanchez took this opportunity to interact with the excitable crowd creating a community atmosphere with the giant dance party below the decks.
The energy of the crowd built throughout the day and exploded when Basement Jaxx hit the stage for their long-awaited tour.
Basement Jaxx got their start in music as underground producers and party promoters in London in 1995 and now has more than 3 million album sales to their name.
Apart from their list of number-one hits, the duo has embarked on other musical adventures including a collaboration with the Netherland’s Metropole Orkest and the score for Joe Cornish’s film ‘Attack the Block.’
Last night’s performance showed no signs of the duo slowing down after performing for nearly 30 years behind the decks.
The event in Melbourne was Basement Jaxx’s last tour date in Australia for April 2023 after shows in Sydney, Adelaide, and Perth in the past week.
By Erin Constable
