Laidback Luke at Royale - Show Review

By Mike H:

Royale Nightclub was anything but laid-back last week, as Laidback Luke took the stage to give Boston a lesson in the art of house music. The world-famous Dutch DJ had the crowd going wild immediately, starting with a brief buildup into his remix of the appropriately named "Dance for Me", by John Roman and Gina Turner.

Watch our videos and read more after the jump:



From that point on, it was a whirlwind of mixing as Luke moved quickly yet seamlessly from one song to the next. Interspersing many of his classic remixes with a variety of new tracks that he has been rolling out in recent live performances, this set was something of a teaser of his sets at Ultra Music Festival this past weekend and next. Dropping tracks by many of the biggest names in the industry from Swedish House Mafia (his remix of "Antidote" brought the crowd to near-hysteria), to Bingo Players ("Rattle"), Congorock ("Babylon"), and many more, Luke kept the crowd jumping for every minute of his two hour set.

                       Laidback Luke remixing TJR's "Ode To Oi"

While many of the tracks he mixed were well-known anthems to which the entire crowd seemed to know the words, he still managed to keep us guessing with tracks by lesser known artists, such as "Ah Yeah", by Will Sparks, and "Jack", by Bart B More. In addition to his ability to mix big EDM hits with songs that likely only a few people knew, LBL's set was also remarkable in its ability to effectively cross genres, including a lively remix of the Macklemore & Ryan Lewis hit, "Thrift Shop".

This being my first show at Royale, I came away with an incredibly positive first impression of the venue. Less restrictive than some of the other clubs and venues in Boston, Royale grants attendees practically free reign to go between the floor and the balcony at will, allowing for many different and exciting vantage points. For anyone who has yet to attend a show at Royale, it as absolute must in the upcoming weeks, as Cazzette, Modestep, and many more will be playing shows at the venue.

Keep up to date on upcoming shows with the EDM Boston Calendar of Events!