Quality Review Outside the queue went down the Tyneside street and around the corner. Inside the place was filling up nicely as the residents belted out the tunes. Quality @ Foundation had arrived once again. Clubbers in Newcastle have only recently been treated to the pleasures of the harder end of the music scale. But, in only the third outing of the monthly hard house night that is Quality, it is evident that the Geordie crowd are loving it already. Close to a thousand people came through the doors of Foundation to have Lisa Lashes, Anne Savage, Kerry James and Mark Maitland whip them up into a frenzy and they didn’t go home disappointed. Quality resident, Mark Maitland, was first up on the decks and if his job was to warm the crowd up for James, Savage and Lashes then he did a very good job indeed. The crowds seemed to flood into Foundation during his set and, by the end of his hour of hard house, the dancefloor was already packed. Rather unusual considering the club had opened only an hour early. Some would say that Maitland played too hard for such an early set but I didn’t see anyone complaining. In fact, he warmed up for the others with one of the best sets of the night. Not only was his tune selection spot on but his energy behind the decks helped lift the crowd as well. A DJ who enjoys himself is a DJ the crowd love to see. Next up was Kerry James, another Quality resident, who was left with a very tough act to follow. James has always had her fans and detractors. Those who say she’s good playing to a crowd and those who criticise her mixing. On this occasion, both these groups were proved right. While James continued the level of crowd entertainment that Maitland had built up before her, there were still signs that her technical abilities on the decks could be bettered. By the time the lovely Anne Savage took to the stage, Foundation was like an oven waiting to explode. The amount of people in the club added to the energy that was being burned meant that the place was hotter than hot. Unfortunately, this meant that many people couldn’t enjoy Savage’s set as much as they would have liked as the heat got the better of them. However, this is the price you have to pay if you want a place full of up-for-it clubbers and a good atmosphere. Thankfully, this is where the back room came in handy. Upstairs is where the more relaxing atmosphere of the back room is hosted, with Pete Robinson and Luke Nixon playing funky house. On this occasion, even this seemed to be full as people filtered between the two musical genres on offer in Foundation. It made a welcome change to what was going on below. Back down in the main room, Savage started with the techno tune, Murder Was The Base, but she was soon back to doing what she does best, playing hard house. This wasn’t the best set I’ve heard her play, her set at the last ever weekly Promise was far superior. Nevertheless, she still managed to do the business and keep the Quality faithful happy. The crowd at Quality has varied in the three times that it has been on, from regular fans of hard house to the more mainstream dance music fan. With Lisa Lashes headlining, tonight was the turn of the mainstream clubbers to be heavily in attendance. Not that that is necessarily a bad thing. After all, the more people the night attracts, the more successful it will become. That can never be a bad thing. I just feel that I’ve seen better crowds at Foundation in terms of atmosphere created, regardless of how busy it may be. With Lashes on last (having just flown in from Ibiza), the crowd numbers had fallen as some people called it a night, meaning a little more space to dance as well as breathe. As expected, she played a predictable but enjoyable set, which inevitably included Hostile. Following on from Maitland, James and Savage and with the heat problem, many people could only dance in fits and starts. Only the Quality hardcore were there as the night came to an end. What a night it had been though. Quality? It certainly was. Written By Lee Ridley
sounds class like reckon i shud have went know i bet the wues didnt take long i fell a kip at 12 on fri bored. I hate missing a promise or quality but if i went i wouldnt have even had chance of seeing magna. Cant wait till November defo not missing three in row itill be getting depressing then roll on glazby ill be able to see him there hell not be djing on a stair case. :evil: :evil: :evil:
