Duke Dumont Returns To Exeter

After the original date was cancelled, the apparent rapid fire of ticket selling and the depleting sense of excitement regarding Duke Dumont’s visit – I was worried. Would the night be a massive disappointment – I mean it was to be in the Lemmy, after all? Luckily, my worries were proved to be wrong – and Duke Dumont’s set, which mixed his well-known hits with some rather epic remixes, was a rather good night. But was it worth the wait?

I took my friend (who usually goes to Liverpool University – I warned her not to expect much from the Lemmy) to the venue, admittedly rather early, to check out the support artists. Being super keen, we arrived at 9pm on the dot, and it was dead. The dance floor was so deserted that tumble weed wouldn’t have looked out of place. I do pity all the DJs who played before 11pm, especially Marvin Vital, who played in Room 2 and deserved a better crowd.

After a rather arduous wait, Duke Dumont finally took to the Lemmy stage. It may have been the alcohol acting for a lot of the crowd, but it was manic. It was a rather stark contrast from thirty minutes previously when the dancefloor had been more deserted than the Sahara. Admittedly, for a DJ set it was all that you would have expected: the big hits, some random mash ups – the expected standard of a pro. Musically speaking, the house vibes that Duke Dumont champions were on full display. Gone were the crappy Top 40 tunes that please the masses.

This was a night for the House heads in Exeter to enjoy. What also set this night apart from a “quiet one” down at Timepiece on a Friday night was the atmosphere, which was outstanding. Instead of the ‘mating ritual’ stratosphere that a Saturday in the Lemmy is renowned for, Duke Dumont brought a bit of old school class (for the most part) back to the Guild. The night’s high point, for me, was when Qualeeb blasted out from the speakers. This was greeted with an eruption of excitable freshers and old school ravers alike dancing in union. It was all a nice change from previous Lemmy experiences.

Overall, the night was enjoyable (well, after people actually arrived at the venue), and more memorable than a typical Friday night out in Exeter – but I cannot escape the feeling that this could have been the injection of House that our Freshers Week so desperately needed.