Words by George Gray
On Friday 1st of November the DaMetalMessiah x Percy Mingle Halloween Special showcased some of the UKs grittiest Grime, Dub, and Bassline, and we were lucky enough to have ringside seats.
Both organisers are heavyweights of the UK underground, with extensive knowledge of the scene, across artist and audience perspectives. Mystery has revolved around their identities, with those in the past speculating DaMetalMessiah could even be the elusive Casisdead. However, as they welcomed us into an intimately set Colour Factory their passion was instantly recognisable.
All it took was a quick introduction for them to back up their pedigree. Together, demonstrating how seriously they take the minutiae of an event, focusing their willpower into creating the most authentic experience possible through venue, line-up and more. DaMetalMessiah, adding, it’s the posers who might cut corners, pretend to know better or lack a legit love for the scene and it’s evolution, that can be a real pet peeve.
As the venue filled, a heady mix of Halloween costumes alongside some of the most iconic pieces associated with Grime and Dubstep began to swirl across the dance floor. After the organiser duo kicked off proceedings, Birmingham’s finest Sharnie laid it down, gradually capturing more people’s attention.
With the stacked line-up, the opening slot was always gonna be tough, but Sharnie played it well. The sounds are so iconic to her Rinse residency, perfectly teeing up Lady Passion’s blend of old-skool UKG, and the punchy addition of her MC Riddler B.
Darwin then took the reins, with a sound labelled fit for a sci-fi aesthetic by DaMetalMessiah himself she hyped the crowd with experimental tunes and boggy basslines. By the end of her set the crowd were pumped, ready for the two much anticipated following sets: Ruff Sqwad and Neffa-T B2B Plastician.
By this point, the floor was near capacity. Layers of the crowd stretched through the venue, creating an organic audience, some two-stepping on crates, others fixated from the balcony above. The luxury of this crowd wasn’t a coincidence, part of the organising team confessing it’d been something they’d strategised from their last event. The attention to detail paid off as the Legendary Ruff Sqwad were greeted by an almighty roar.
Ruff Sqwad were calm on stage, delivering some of their most iconic beats and bars, despite suffering some issues with mic levels. The mere play of Together to warm things off causing hysteria in the audience.
Their love for the music visible through their enthusiasm and interaction with the audience, delivering a truly personal performance. As their thirty minutes ended, the crowd were left longing for more, song requests flying at them left, right and centre, but it was time for the headliners.
Neffa-T and Plastician hit the decks explosively, Plastician opening with no hesitation, hitting the crowd with his classic dub-heavy style, before Neffa-T followed locked into a sprinter-like stance with his trademark intensity and precision. Each embellished touch of the decks by this pairing is delivered with the purpose of master conductors. Both full gas sparks sizzling off the decks, it seemed hard that the atmosphere could be upped, but a murmur grew in the crowd.
This murmur evolved into stun, as MCs Novelist and Kibo emerged on stage – a “special surprise” DaMetalMessiah told us, grinning ear to ear. Both MCs and DJs instantly fell into a harmonious flow, uniting together to confidently match the hype
Track to track, it just continued to build until all the “superhuman” Kino, in the words of Dave, could do was drop to a knee, hailing the DJs, his mic thrust toward the decks in dramatic fashion. After the MC’s departure, the crowd were bouncing, but it wasn’t over yet.
Plastician and Neffa-T, brought it right home with some spooky dubs and even a distorted air-raid siren track. Although, It was the remix of Luniz’s “I Got 5 on it”, right at the close of the set before the lights came up that had really captured my heart.
As the lights came up and the event closed, it was obvious both the B2B pairing and the crowd were eager to go on, so powerful was the chemistry. Backstage, the two artists share so much love and even hint at the possibility of another future set.
Overall, the whole night felt like we were locked in a time capsule, passing in the blink of an eye, something we certainly won’t be forgetting soon. Massive thanks to both organisers and all artists involved, we strongly encourage any and all to get to their future events, if you didn’t know before, you have no excuses now.
