Sub Focus & Delta Heavy @ House of Blues Sunset Strip

So many factors coalesced to make last night at the House of Blues Sunset one fucking helluva show. First off, personally, last night was my 50th show. I'll probably stop counting now, since after fifty it just gets pretentious, but it was still a milestone for me. I've been going to shows for about three and a half years now and it's been one of the best rides of my life. Here's to hoping it continues much longer. Also, last night marked the first time in over a year that I revisited the House of Blues (last time was to see FuntCase). Still an amazing venue, and they even boosted the sound for the night. Plus, cheap drinks! $8 whiskey ginger, whaaaat??

But the main reason last night was awesome was, of course, the drum & bass tyrant Sub Focus. Making his first appearance in Southern California since Nocturnal Wonderland 2012, and having just released his newest album Torus, it seemed right to tour on "the other side of the pond." Bringing with him Delta Heavy, and openers Machete and Fallen, the night was filled with quality drum and bass.

I missed a little bit of Machete's set, but from what I saw when I got in, he had been killing it from the beginning. As a resident DJ at RESPECT Drum & Bass in SoCal, you wouldn't expect anything less. Unfortunately, as with most openers, the crowd isn't full yet and people are less likely to seriously hit the floor hard. (Even happened to Evol Intent in Pomona... such is life.) For what it's worth, he played a fantastic set worthy of more praise than he got.

Next up was Fallen, a relatively little known producer (can't even find a Facebook or SoundCloud page). Starting off with a little downtempo, he was quick to make sure that the crowd didn't become too complacent - playing a set of downtempo and shifting into drum and bass kept the crowd on its toes and worked its ass off. Alas, an hour and a half set for a newbie isn't easy to keep up and he kind of faltered toward the end.

No worries, however! As Ben Hall, one half of Delta Heavy, was set to take over. I've seen Simon play before, in Santa Ana, so it was nice to see the other half. While Simon played a lot of house and moombah, Ben spun straight drum & bass and electro and it was phenomenal. Playing tracks like his 'Must Be The Feeling' remix and earlier releases like Hold Me, newer releases like Empire, the set was pure fire.

For the first 3 hours of the night, the crowd was teased by an LED-array in the front of the DJ booth, and an even larger one behind it. I was sure that we would be given a treat for Delta Heavy, and to some extent ... not really. The front array lit up to read "DELTΔ HEΔVY" and that's about it. Toward the end of Ben's set, it 'melted' and transformed though, so it was possible. A shame they didn't make more use out of it.

As Nick Douwma, Sub Focus, approached the stage, the crowd erupted in furious cheers and applause. I was a little disappointed that he was touring without the Torus live-visual display, but I understand the reasoning behind it - too much to insure, transport from the UK, and assemble at every show. However, the back LED-array was finally illuminated and it served its purpose valiantly.

As for the music, Sub Focus played a well-balanced mix of drum and bass, dubstep, trap, and house. Keeping the energy level high throughout the show, the genre didn't really matter as much as each track brought the house down. Classics like 'Rock It' and his remix of Rusko's 'Hold On,' along with a slew of tracks from his newest album, the Londoner lived up to his reputation and played for a SOLD OUT crowd.

Tonight, I'm at the King King in Hollywood to see Run DMT and SPL - sure to be another fantastic show.