Review: Overmono @ The Prospect Building

By Izzy Baulk, First Year, Physics and Computing

Brothers Ed and Tom Russell cut the ribbon at the warehouse venue with a mix of chart-topping anthems and experimental UKG tunes, just a stone’s throw from the well-established Motion and Marble Factory. Whilst tried-and-tested dance bangers kept the energy going, some slower and more experimental tracks lost the interest of hardcore ravers, prompting the question of whether dance artists should prioritise experimentation, or bending to rave culture conventions.

The success of the 2023 Good Lies tour cannot be understated, with world-over sell out shows, and a standout Boiler Room set at Depot Mayfield amassing nearly 2 million views on YouTube. Charting number one for UK Dance Albums upon release, the eponymous album drew widespread critical acclaim and was celebrated as the forefront of the modern UK Garage sound, drawing influences from techno, breakbeat, trap and progressive house music.

On the back of such success, embarking on another world tour seemed a bold move. Indeed, the challenge was only amplified in choosing to open such a tour with an all-day event, where acts such as Blawan and LSDXOXO had been keeping the crowd moving for hours already. Yet, as the lights went down and the isolated vocals and droning synths on new track ‘Pure Devotion’ gave way to the driving bass of ‘Is U’, everyone was on the floor.

A Man About a Dog, the team behind Junction 2 and ION, have cut no corners in renovating the Feeder Road site, and I was beyond impressed by the lighting control, sound quality and floor layout. Enormous screens framed the booth, with GoPro-fed live video of course centring on Overmono’s classic Dobermann imagery; from where I was standing in the crowd, the silhouettes of two of the dogs perfectly framed Ed and Tom as they worked the decks on ‘Gem Lingo’.

However, after a few tracks from Spotify’s Popular section, Ed and Tom began to delve into newer stuff. BPM fell and thudding drums gave way to more controlled breaks, and I could feel the energy in the crowd shift into two camps: the people with their eyes closed, soaking up the progressive beats, and the lad behind me who chanted ‘where’s the hard techno?’ for a good five minutes.

After the release of Good Lies, Will Pritchard of Pitchfork argued 'Overmono haven't sacrificed intimacy or immediacy to the prospect of festival slots and pyrotechnics', and it’s certainly clear the boys aren’t afraid to make the music they want to make, rather than blindly catering to the desires of the average raver.

The downside to this is the definite energy slump you get halfway through a set when a good 50% of the crowd are off their faces and are just hoping for a track to dance to. A stellar performance of ‘I Have a Love’ brought the room back together though, in a testament to both the power of David Balfe’s poetry and the duo’s mastery of working with vocal samples. Both a cult classic and a bestseller, a remix of ‘Turn the Page’ was the perfect lead into the ultimate closing track: ‘Good Lies’ and highlighted what Overmono do best: getting a room of people to dance together as one.

What is your favourite Overmono track?