Slammin Vinyl-Hardcore Heaven-Sundissential presents…
HARDstock!
The Official Hardcore Heaven Weekender re-union.
Sunday 28th May 2006 Bank Holiday weekend 8pm-6am all night!
Hardcore Heaven and Sundissential locked horns once again to bring us another classic hard dance night in Birmingham and once again the place was booming and the 3000 odd mental ravers that attended couldn’t get enough, we love all that!
Tonight was to be the first time that Hardcore Heaven had produced a hardcore night at the Birmingham Academy and what a turn out.

The Birmingham Academy used to be home to the legendary Sundissential so the party was happy to return. It was also used for concerts with such acts as Prodigy. Formerly known as the Hummingbird the Carling Birmingham Academy was an old skool venue that use to consist of promoters including Pandemonium and Dance Planet.

Hard stock was also to be the Hardcore Heaven Weekender 2 re-union and as I wasn’t at the Weekender I felt a bit cheeky, but I’m so glad I went, I got to see all my ravin’ mates from all over the UK and we all had a stomper!!

The Academy overall is a fair sized venue.
The night was to consist of 4 arenas with around 40 acts playing 6 different styles of hard dance music for a whopping 10 hours of mayhem!

The whole time I was in the club I was too hot and most of the others ravers I spoke to felt the same as drips of condensation fell onto their faces from the ceiling!

Moving on to a lighter note the main arena’s stage was wicked, it had a projector screen showing mad customised film things which also promoted the Hardcore Heaven awards at Bath and West Showground, Shepton Mallet in October. Hanging above the dance floor were two more projector screens showing the same crazy sh*t and some mad spiky inflatables.
The arena was quite spacious and the view from the balcony was superb. The dance floor was huge and constantly packed with ravers going mental to the sounds of dj’s like Mark EG, Kev Energy and Breeze & Styles.
Lasers & strobes illuminated the main stage and when the rush kicked in, the lights beamed up and the crowd looked and amazing.

As I merged into the second room it was tiny and extremely hot, nearly unbearable. It was jam packed to the rafters with nuttahs losing the plot and it was a bit too much even for me! The stage looked a little confined and the whole layout of the room was a bit pants (speak to Mc Wotsee for the low-down, he was not a happy man!).
The system seemed to be of quite poor quality in this room and the mics were not that clear or loud, as that of the main arenas’.
I can’t remember if there was a bar in here or not, I doubt it from the size of it. I didn’t spend a lot of time in this room but the time I did spend I had a right laugh even in the heat and it was wicked until a group of lads literally fighting and barging through the crowd, sliding about as they moved, corrupted the dance floor and destroyed the atmosphere a little. It was the first fight I’ve ever seen at a rave and to my surprise after the fighting had finished the room got back to the exact same mood as before and it was all gravy again.

There were bars and stalls situated all around the venue so there was always easy access to drinks and merchandise the beer taste like the worst I’ve ever had and the toilets weren’t to clever either (for want of better words). The stalls were selling the usual dazzling; vinyl’s, glowsticks, whistles, horns etc.

I thought the cloakroom set up was sorted, it had a room then two window gaps with bars, I didn’t think my bag would fit but it did so it was kushty. The prices, still a bit too high for my liking but what can you do, who really cares!

The hard house was stompin’ and everyone seemed to love it. I tended to pay more attention to the hardcore and didn’t even know there was two other arenas. Never found them. Oops!

When Mark EG came on the crowd went absolutely crazy and the club was crazy. Mark as ever was going mental on stage and the reaction from the ravers showed respect and they loved it. I feel Mark EG is always good to have at an early point in he nights line up as he tends to set the place on fire and get everyone hyped for the hardcore!

When the hardcore began I felt right at home and the atmosphere was truly amazing everyone was bouncing about the club to the beats and bass, spilling beer and knocking into each other, the way it should be!

I spent most of the time up on the balcony at the edge as I was finding it difficult to dance on the wooden floors in my high heels, no I shouldn’t have worn them and no I never will again! The balcony over looking the dance floor was a good place to be I could see all the action and the barrier was good to lean on. ;)

Throughout the night Kevin Energy had two sets, one in the second room and one in the main room with the rest of Nu Energy Collective. They performed a live PA and rocked the crowd right.

I feel the best sets of the night came from Breeze & Styles, MC2, Wotsee, Smiley, Dougal, Mark EG, Kev Energy and Recon so big up you guys you rule!

Massive shouts n respect to:
Jenny & Chris at Bornhardcore, Michael Robbins, MC2( u no the score), Wotsee, Smiley, Re-Con, Mark EG, Kev!!, Dougal, R2tg team!! (Clazz mwah baby!) Sheena my baby girl, Bournemouth boys in orange jackets brap brap, Mental Missh (c u everywhere girl), Wilfee, Nitesh, Compulsion, all the been eds and all the nuttahs that no the score but I cant think of ya names mwaaaaaah nuff luv 2 yaz!!!

Written by LuCyLu