The University of Canberra’s refectory has recently undergone a makeover and Dizzee Rascal was one of the first real tests for the refreshed venue.

Starting off the evening were local lads Cheese and Offtapia, who provided the necessary warm up beats to get the young liquored crowd in the mood to party. Everything was running pretty smoothly with two bars providing quick drink service, plenty of space outside and designated smoking areas to keep everyone happy.

DJ Tai mounted the dimly-lit stage next, standing out in a red cardigan, with his blonde hair piled stylishly into a quiff. Towards the end of his set he played a remix of Guns N Roses anthem Sweet Child of Mine which won over many punters and a moshpit formed in front of the stage.

The atmosphere increased from engaged punters to sheer pandemonium from the moment The Subs hit the stage. The highly energetic three-piece looked fantastic with black and white eye makeup providing a rock star edge. The boys made use of the stage, the speakers and railings, jumping around and climbing the speaker stack while removing items of clothing. Special mention goes to the lead singer’s bedazzled leather jacket, with more than one person in the media area commenting on how they’d love to hang it in their wardrobe. Their sound was heavily synthesised electro punk and the 1,900-strong crowd jumped in sweaty unison to their most well-known track Bang Bang Bang.

By the time Dizzee Rascal was ready to come on stage at 11.30 the crowd was well and truly oiled and ready to see him. In a blaze of light and noise, Dizzee appeared. Wearing a Michael Jordan 23 jersey, basketball shorts and some very shiny black kicks, he had the ‘I’m way too cool for school’ look sorted.

Dizzee opened with old favourites, Old Skool, Bad Behaviour, Road Rage and Dirtee Disco plus the mash-up with Florence and the Machine’s You got the Dirtee Love which was a definite crowd favourite. His lyrics were machine gun fast, and at times a little indecipherable to those not overly familiar with his style.

When he left the stage without playing Bonkers the crowd knew he would be back. Announcing to the crowd he wanted to ‘take us on a holiday’, he launched into his current hit Holiday and finished the night with Bonkers. Pure mayhem is an understatement on the crowd’s reaction to his most well-known song, and I was glad to have made the trip down the stairs from the media balcony to get amongst the final release of energy.

Photos by Chris Whitfield.