Concert Review: Skream, Alex Metric, Destructo @ The Hoxton

By: Sasha Kalra (@sashakalra) –

Skream performs on the Red Bull Music Academy stage at HARD Day of the Dead in Los Angeles, California on November 3, 2013. (Photo: Erik Voake / Red Bull Content Pool)

It was a cold Friday night in Toronto and three party starters from the old school obliged a massive crowd at The Hoxton the only way they knew how.

Skream’s influence on dubstep is paramount and it’s said that the Croydon, UK-based musician was at the forefront of its rise from the British underground scene to car commercials and UFC entrance music. And since his transition to disco a couple of years ago, Friday’s show was his first time in Toronto since the move. Would it live up to the hype?

Destructo definitely got the night off to a great start. The Hoxton on a Friday night is quickly – if not already – becoming a Toronto staple. People of all ages, styles and tax brackets congregate in a common place to enjoy great music. Destructo did what any opener should do in such an environment – please the crowd. Wearing a Henley that Dexter Morgan would be proud of, the HARD Events founder proceeded to slay the masses with some of the grimiest techno ever heard in these parts.

Alex Metric took to the decks next. Within the era of laptops (see Dillon Francis freaking out at Holy Ship), it was refreshing to see three high-profile members of a bill revert to type. Metric’s set was mostly electro mixed with a few old school club anthems. He asked the crowd if any of them had been on Holy Ship. While the crowd all cheered, it’s doubtful anyone in the room was actually at Holy Ship but you couldn’t damper their enthusiasm.

Skream jumped on the decks shortly after 1 am and spent the first 20 minutes of his set continuing the electro vibe that Metric threw down earlier. As the crowd looked at their phones to check the time, surely the disco would rain down any moment now, right? Wrong. He kept the crowd waiting and when his set was more than halfway through he unleashed a bunch of his new material on those of us who had begun to think that unleashing our disco moves on the dance floor would have to wait.

Skream loves his Aretha Franklin and Marvin Gaye. He played Gaye and Tami Terrell’s “Ain’t no Mountain High Enough” at the end of his set and it was simply euphoric. The crowd sang along, basking in the collective warmth and happiness that had spread throughout The Hoxton. All in all, this was an incredibly memorable night. Skream showed us why he remains one of the best around.

There were no lights, no fog machines and no gimmicks involved on Friday night. It was simply about the music and appreciating one’s craft. In an era where anybody can download software and make electronic music, there simply doesn’t remain a substitute for class and experience.