Groove Armada, BIC

How many support acts do Groove Armada need anyway? Well I counted two.

First up were funky noisemakers Sonny J and a cast of thousands on stage. The many members of the band played hard to a half-empty hall and sounded like an unholy marriage between the Black Eyed Peas and Earth, Wind and Fire.

Next on Bristolian band Malaki complete with top hats and fancy dress that certainly looked the part but were nothing to write home about.

Finally, the Groove Armada boys took to the stage amidst an opening salvo of screeching acid bass lines that went on and on. The sweaty crowd seemed to be enjoying themselves and were not put off by some of the most horrendously dated visuals and laser effects that I've seen this century. It wasn't long before recent chart topping single Song 4 Mutya and staple classics such as I See You Baby were booming from the speakers and the place was going bananas.

Groove Armada was firmly in dance music mode and perhaps a bit too formulaic, but never dull. By the encore it was the obligatory trumpet chorus of At The River and then more pounding dance floor mayhem to see the Monday night crowd home.

Patrick Gough