HC Promotions presents Symphonic Ibiza
HC Promotions presents
Symphonic Ibiza
“Don’t let the sunset on Ibiza”
Golden Square, Warrington
Saturday 16th September 2023
Something different for team NSG tonight…we’re getting our rave on, as tonight we attend “Don’t let the Sunset on Ibiza” for what promises to be an extravaganza in dance music, a certain trip down Memory Lane and all performed live by Ibiza Symphonic Orchestra. Returning to Golden Square for its 3rd year now, this event gets talked about. It’s well-loved and much anticipated; it’s my first time, but it’s one I’m keen to do!
Golden Square is a great venue within Warrington town’s shopping centre with easy access from trains, buses and its own car park. Housed within the Old Market Square, an outdoor area where real festival vibes are felt, but with a large roof so that even rain can’t dampen any dancing. All the eateries, bars and restaurants are open throughout these events; you can either sit in or take away, and several pop-up bars are situated around the performance area. A festival-worthy stage with a large screen makes any live music here visible even from far back.
Symphonic Ibiza is a live orchestral performance with DJ and live vocalists, a fusion of sound, bringing alive the iconic dance and house anthems of the past 3 decades. To get the party started tonight we have DJ sets from The Spin and Ricky Isted, so it’s real Club meets Fiesta feels and the weather ain’t bad either, perfect!
So the mood has been firmly set with a wide variety of banging dance tunes and we’ve had dancing en masse! We’re more than ready for our live performance! And so it begins… dramatically…with ‘Right here, Right now’ (Fat Boy Slim) in a sea of dry ice and a spectrum of lighting and lasers. It’s shoulder to shoulder in here now; a wave of bobbing heads and up-stretched arms can be seen to what seems like the horizon, all waiting for that drop… driven by the DJ, the hook begins, then strings which cause hairs on the back of the neck to stand up. Gradually more instruments are introduced, more sounds, slowly building, then brass layering, then that beat drops – and it goes off! A swirling abyss of bouncing bodies, glow sticks and flashing headbands envelopes us! Pulsating beats, exquisite mixing and shouts from our DJ get the crowd whooping and chanting along. Our conductor in his sequined tails is a pure fountain of energy, bounding about on stage, waving his baton like some musical magician’s wand (it feels like magic is being created).
Classic anthems are performed, seamlessly rolling into each other, really adding to the club feels as the mesmerising lights flash in sequence. It’s a very rave feeling and this outdoor venue adds so much to this overall feel; the sound of whistles transports us back to another era; nostalgia is the force behind this event, and more so once our wonderful female vocalists join the party, provided by powerhouse, Ruby Sayre, of Symphonic Ibiza, and guest tonight is the iconic Melanie Williams, of among others Sub Sub (‘Ain’t no love’). Both vocals are utterly stunning and far-reaching, and bring another dimension or level to this multi-faceted sound. The crowd interaction is brilliant with both dancing nonstop across the entire stage! Is there anything better than singing along with 2,000 others to an orchestral version of treasured dance anthems? The level of energy hasn’t dipped throughout this performance as tune after tune has been played and utterly devoured by this hungry crowd!
Ending on that very high we started on, with ‘You got the Love’ (Candi Staton), this audience again erupts and we dance like we won’t ever have the chance again! What a night! A full set performed to perfection, providing a full orchestral experience with a club twist, an absolute banger of a night. Let’s hope Symphonic Ibiza return to Warrington next year for their fourth headline here, I for one WILL be here if so!
Thanks must go to all the staff at HC Promotions and Golden Square for yet again providing a brilliant and very smoothly running event.
Set List: (on the night changes were made, so the set list is not entirely accurate) Right here Right, Pjanoo, Children, Delirium, 9pm till I come, Where Love lives, Swedish House MAFIA One, Don’t you worry Child, Titanium, I’m Good, Dreamer, Show me Love, Don’t give me your Life, Rhythm as a Dancer, Insomnia, Tocas Miracle, Born Slippy, Nightmare, Sandstorm, Castles in the Sky, Free from Desire, You Got me Intoxicated, Set you Free, Encore ‘You got the love’ (Candi Staton)
By Janet Harding
