Gig review: EDM night with Banco De Gaia at The Angel Microbrewery and The Chapel

Hockley and the Lace Market were bustling that Saturday night, and the outdoor seating areas were full of people drinking and having a good time as the colder temperatures from the previous week subsided for more comfortable conditions. I'd not long got back from Peterborough after seeing Notts County exit the FA Cup and was looking for a pick-me-up in the form of Club Onion #3 at The Angel on Stoney Street, with Steve Hardaker, TRANKS, Filter Sequence, DJ Indigo Herder and Banco De Gaia.

Walking upstairs to The Chapel, you're met with a wall of posters and flyers featuring the likes of Jim Morrison, Green Day and an alternative speed dating night named "Bag a Slag, Grab a Hag," naturally. At the door, I was greeted by Steve from Filter Sequence, who was wearing some striking new Screamadelica-esque merchandise, as were people in the crowd. Steve was a great help during the gig, providing setlists and information about artists and the event.

The Chapel is an incredible venue. The grade II-listed building dates back to the late 1600s, with caves running underneath. In a previous life, it was said to be haunted after a chimney collapsed on a watchman; it was also used as a brothel and a meeting place for Druids. A pulpit and high ceilings greet you as you walk into the venue. There is a pew against the wall and a small bar area with friendly, funny, and musically knowledgeable staff and vinyl records plastered on the wall. Psalm 149:3 in the Old Testament says "Let them praise his name with dancing, praise him with tambourines and dance," and the crowd at The Chapel duly obliged throughout the night; I have no idea where they got the energy from…

Steve Hardaker opened the event; the Walsall-born DJ cites bands such as Depeche Mode and New Order as influences and played an original mix of EDM, house, and darkwave. 

Next up was TRANKS, who will be at a new East Midlands festival named Psychic Dancehall in Derby in March 2025. I also saw them support Bored Marsh at Rough Trade in October, and the Notts ambient-techno trio, again, didn't disappoint. Lead singer Chris Davis bounced between lead vocals and drums, with Dave Startin and Chris Moore adding their expertise to open their set with Armrest, which blends moments of euphoria with rising techno beats and synths. Fan favourite Echo was again beautifully constructed with soft vocals and synths meshing to create an ambient sound while retaining TRANKS's industrial edge. They ended with Need to Get Out of My Mind, released in September and builds steadily, patiently to a soulful house crescendo.

After meeting Nottingham producer Filter Sequence at the door, it was exciting to see him on stage. He was wearing a giant onion hat and flashing green glasses; he was in his element. Filter Sequence is inspired by the acid house scene of the late 80s and early 90s; the distorted smiley face visuals and tracks such as Derby Ravers and BMX will have taken people back to the heady days of Nottingham's rave scene in the 1990s, and venues such as Venus and Miro's.

At around 10 o'clock, it was time for the headliner, South Londoner Toby Marks, or Banco De Gaia, to a now packed-out Chapel dancefloor. He's been active since the 1980s after discovering the acid house scene. Banco De Gaia fuses dance, atmospheric dub, and chill-out with Asian, Middle Eastern, and Arabic samples. It's a heady mix of sounds and styles that, when paired with Metempsychosis' visuals, creates an illuminating experience for the senses.

One of the set's highlights was Last Train to Lhasa, the title track of Marks' critically acclaimed album, which reached number 1 on the UK Independent Album Chart and number 31 on the UK Album Chart in 1995. The song was inspired by the Tibetan Independence Movement and the Chinese Government's decision to build a railway line between Xining, China, and Lhasa, Tibet. It's techno, with Tibetan chanting samples and geopolitics in one 11-minute 44-second masterpiece.

DJ Indigo Herder closed the night with his brand of psytrance, which includes deep, melodic beats, more left-field samples, and an encapsulation of all the artists who had played previously.

Club Onion #3 ended, and praise be to The Chapel, its weird and wonderful history had another entry, and as The Angel Microbrewery closed its doors, I set off on a pilgrimage to Angel Row for a bite to eat and a taxi home.

The Club Onion EDM night took place on 30th November 2024.