Review: Defected at Drumsheds

On Saturday I made my way to Drumsheds for the return of London’s biggest house party. The all day rave ran from 12.30pm until 10pm and brought together three rooms of music representing the Defected family: Defected, Glitterbox and D4 D4NCE.

This was my first time at Drumsheds, the former Ikea warehouse that has been converted into one of the capital’s newest large scale venues. It sits in an industrial patch of Tottenham but getting there is easier than you might think thanks to a shuttle bus that runs between the venue and Tottenham Hale station. I arrived around 3pm and was inside quickly with no issues at the door.

Defected took over the 15,000 capacity Room X, the largest at the venue which was maybe a little too vast for me. The screen behind the booth ran the full width of the space and gave a striking backdrop, but the sound was patchy unless you moved close to the front. MK and Jungle, who played a special DJ set, headlined here and kept the capacity crowd engaged.

Most of my day was spent in the middle room where Glitterbox had taken over. The set up here felt more immersive and was very much up my street, with the DJ booth positioned in the centre and the signature Glitterbox dancers bringing the vibe to life. The Shapeshifters and Bellaire were highlights, the crowd was in full voice, and with confetti raining down the whole space felt like a carnival. Packed, sweaty and full of good energy from start to finish.

The smallest of the three spaces was given to D4 D4NCE. It had a younger, bouncier feel with Alex Mills closing out. It offered a nice change of pace when you wanted to shift the mood.

Organisation was solid throughout. Bars and toilets were plentiful, free water was available and staff kept things moving. For a party of this scale, it felt well put together.

If I had one gripe, it would be that the 10pm finish came around far too quickly. When the crowd is still going strong you always want a bit more. Overall though, Defected at Drumsheds delivered. A slickly run event, an unbeatable line up and a reminder that Defected still knows how to throw one of the best house parties in the game.

If that’s whet your appetite then you’re in luck. Defected will be taking over The Warehouse Project in Manchester on October 10 with a line up that includes MK, Roger Sanchez and Dan Shake. Tickets are available here.