NERO @ UEA!

Being a fan of dubstep for years, I have mixed feelings about the genre taking such a prominent role in the mainstream charts. Seeing dubstep explode from dingy basements in grotty clubs to sell out 2000 capacity venues never felt quite right. After seeing Skrillex a few weeks ago these feelings grew as I watched an hour and a half of overproduced noise. However after seeing Nero last night I began to regain some respect for the genre I love so much.

Being a massive fan for a while and having seen Nero go from room 3 at fabric to what they are now, I was filled with huge joy to see them come to UEA. The show was actually called Nero (live). I had never really understood the ‘live’ part before, since I always thought 'it’s a dj set isn’t it?' but I now do.

Nero’s stage set up was beyond amazing. The London act, made up of Daniel Stephens and Joe Ray, have gone for a post-apocalyptic style, which sees them stand behind a huge wall made up of old TV’s and stereos complete with ‘tron style’ arcade machine as it’s centerpiece.

Nero ripped through a plethora of songs, old and new, original and remix, mainly showcasing their recent album “Welcome Reality”. Opener ‘Doomsday’ set a perfect dark atmosphere, which saw the futuristic duo standing still behind their set sporting daft punk influenced visors, before ripping into ‘Welcome Reality VIP’. Vocalist Alana Watson, dressed in tight black leather, joined the pair onstage for their massive summer hit ‘Guilt’, which drew a great response from the crowd. The brilliant and classic ‘Innocence’ followed; accompanied by the first dubstep song Nero ever released ‘This way’. It was great to see Nero play some of their older songs, so drum n bass banger ‘Do You Wanna’ was welcomed with open arms.

The backdrop was then changed, as lighting switched to green for ‘Angst’ (Nero’s remix of ‘stress’ by Justice), and the video behind the duo changed to a heart rate monitor. It was impossible not to get excited for the drop which, once arrived, had the crowd going mad. Their remix of ‘Blinded By The lights’ by The Streets was a breather from the non-stop heavy set. Re-enter Watson stage left, who’s vocals were unflawed for Number one single ‘Promises’. What could follow that? It could only be ‘Crush On You’. 80’s influenced and sampling The Jets, the crowd favourite got everyone dancing. The dancing turned to moshing once Knife Party’s remix of the track was played, spawning sweaty teenagers to push each other everywhere. This is the worst thing about dance music gigs, what happened to standing back, having a dance and enjoying the music? Maybe I’m just no fun anymore! Anyway, I’m digressing,

Next up was a less than average remix of ‘Must Be The Feeling’ which proved to be the gravest disappointment of the night. The original will definitely be in my songs of 2012, so it was a shame I didn’t get to hear it properly. Never mind, as it’s all a prelude to a huge build up to massive single ‘Me & You’, which without doubt drew the biggest sing-a-long moment of the evening.

Nero exit the stage to chants of “Nero, Nero, Nero!” and “we want more!” To which they kindly oblige. They return with a remix of ‘Guilt’ followed by another less than average remix of ‘Act Like You Know’. After winning dubstep song of the year at the Dubstep Music Awards in 2010, I expected it to play a more prominent part in the set. However it didn’t sour my night.

Nero have successfully proved to me that you can be in the mainstream and still make amazing music. Although it is more about the show these days, no one can ever take away the feeling you get when that beat drops!