The Busy Twist @ NAC
Every single person was getting their dance on
On the Friday of Latitude 2015 my friends and I were left extremely angry and disappointed that The Busy Twist had been debunked last minute from their evening DJ slot due to the surprise guest that was Ed Sheeran swooping in and taking their place (terrible cock ups with the 10th anniversary special acts, still annoyed about the placement and organisation but I'll stop before this rant overflows). So, after a year of spite, on hearing that The Busy Twist were to play my favourite venue in Norwich, I had to go.
Norwich Arts Centre was decorated with pineapples and watermelons oozing out those tropical vibes; the little converted church down St Benedicts was a hive of good feelings and smiles.First up in the bar all evening were DJ's Tom O'Driscroll and George Harris, two lovely lads who set the atmosphere for the evening as people ordered drinks and got more excited for the main event. Playing house and dance music, the duo managed to get people's feet moving from the opening of doors, songs like Kerri Chandler's Rain and other bangers being blasted out to the crowd.In the main hall we had two other DJ's supporting before The Busy Twist - Theft and Bean (Charlie Satchell and Lee Reynolds). Both artists played a mix of bassline, house and garage and showed their incredible skills of being able to mix tune into tune so smoothly. Theft's early play of Cal and Happens remix of T2's Heartbroken was insane - however, the crowd was a little thin on the ground for it to properly feel like the night had begun. Bean's play of DJ Q's remix of Little Man by Sia was also a banger, and the visuals and lights behind both DJ's made for a room full of anticipation.As soon as it hit 10:30 The Busy Twist shimmied onstage with smiles and energy that flowed straight into the crowd. The two piece- DJ and MC - brought us "bassline with a twist" to quote themselves, the usual bassline blended with the vibes of Africa to give fresh beats and incredible sounds. The duo set out to take us on a journey around the world, and they certainly achieved that. From heavy drops in songs to the chanting of 'good vibes good vibes', The Busy Twist managed to perfectly sync traditional music with modern day bassline and it was pretty impressive to watch. Not only were the two on stage fun to watch, but the crowd themselves were also incredibly sparky. A room with a range of all ages, 16-65, every single person was getting their dance on, and whether it was conventional or completely mad dancing no one seemed to care as everyone was engrossed by the sounds of The Busy Twist. Highlights of the evening were Yaga Skank and Friday Night (a very fitting song for this particular day of the week), their meaty one hour and a half set never once failing to delight the crowd. Being completely sober I thought I would struggle dancing constantly for 90 minutes, but was proven wrong by the musical happenings of The Busy Twist. As curfew hit, NAC refused to let an encore occur, which meant we were left without hearing Labadi Warrior (a personal favourite that I would have loved to see, but ah well, you win some, you lose some).After waiting a bitter year to see The Busy Twist, the 365 days+ we'e definitely worth it. I'm absolutely gutted they got kicked off the Latitude spot, they would have been incredible there. However, they were still incredible tonight at little NAC, and definitely filled the empty gap inside me that craved experiencing The Busy Twist live.
