MENTALIST

Korners Bar, Farmers Arms, Lancaster.
Sat 3rd September

After a successful summer tearing up the Gregson and local countryside Lancaster's Mentalist crew kicked off the autumn season with a charity bash at Korners Bar.

The ever-popular menu of breakbeats, tribal house and pounding techno was served up with a healthy dollop of frenzied lights, lasers, dazzling UV décor and a sinister series of acrylic paintings. These guys really don't skimp on atmosphere.

Founding siblings Si and Katie Dodgson, with friend Dave Stringfellow aim to bring vibrant, enlightening underground dance music to Lancaster's party people, attempting to revive a scene that's struggled in recent years to find a regular venue worthy of the music's undoubted popularity.

Korners has provided an outlet for such music, with events supporting a range of charities like Lancaster and District Homeless Action Service, Stepping stone Nigeria, and tonight, the Parkinson's Disease Society.

Always keen to blood new talent, debutant DJ Salbee warmed the needles with a well received set of dark and dirty breakbeat to rattle the ribs and jiggle the feet. With influences from Plump DJs to Salt n Pepper, I for one will watch her development with eagle eyes.

Next up Dave Stringfellow keeps the breaks alive with a funkier edge. Always eager to fill the dance floor (isn't that the DJs job?) he drops Pendulum's Fasten your seatbelts, wrenching bums from seats, elevating fists and smiles to the sky and slamming feet down hard on the wobbly floor where they stay for the duration.

Then, as always seems to happen with the good things in life some bugger spoils it. And no, it's not some nutter kicking off or some idiot setting off the fire alarm (such antics rarely occur at these close-knit friendly events). Oh no, the management decided the venue wasn't full enough to warrant staying open to the advertised 1am finish.

How they expected it to fill up when the Farmers' door was locked at 11.15pm I'll never know. Such short-sightedness is indicative of the problems faced by underground promoters in our beautiful city. More eager punters finally gained access to witness Sam Close's skilled delivery of nosebleed techno before staff signalled death to the decks at midnight. The mob's screams for more fell on deaf ears and we were forced to find fluid and dancing elsewhere. Never an easy task on a Saturday night in Lancaster, especially when dressed in jeans, hoodies and grubby trainers.

But hey, we've all grown used to such nonsense. It's a sad state of affairs; a state that surprises no one but infuriates everyone.

Everyone that's into decent music that is.

ANDY JENKINS 6/9/05