"This is probably my favourite gig of all time."
You assume artists say that at every gig, deceiving the crowd into thinking they've been part of something special. But after witnessing a musical masterclass at Manchester's Mayfield Depot, you don't doubt it.
Warehouse Project kicked off the bank holiday weekend with live sets from co-headliners Bonobo and Caribou on Friday (August 26). The double-header of electronic live acts is the first of the latest season of club nights put on by the Mancunian party institution.
And what a way to start a series of events spanning from this summer bank holiday weekend until New Year's Eve. The mood in Manchester ahead of the long weekend which sees Pride take over the city is merry.
Caribou capitalises on that Friday feeling with a live set of back-to-back bangers squeezed into one hour. Dan Snaith, the Canadian composer behind the band, delivered a similar set on the same stage less than a year ago.
But compared to his headline show last October which was repeatedly rescheduled due to Covid, this 60-minute set is more refined. A scream erupts from a different pocket of the dancefloor as each song starts – it's someone's favourite.
A standout selection, Sun sees the band become silhouettes as the screen behind them helps build the atmosphere. Snaith steps off to the side of the stage, smiling, before returning to complete the 10-minute rendition of the 2010 track.
"Manchester, you never disappoint," Snaith says. The lights come up more often than you'd expect at a rave-inspired night, revealing reassuringly joyful faces all around you.
Mayfield Depot is surprisingly roomy, even towards the front of the crowd, offering partiers plenty of room to dance. Being so close to the stage without being squashed makes the performance feel more intimate.
But a walk to the bar makes you realise how big the crowd actually is. The prices are steep - £5 for an alcohol-free Peroni! - and the lines are long, but the sound carries surprisingly well for a former railway station and parcel depot, so the party continues in the queue.
The half-an-hour changeover after Caribou sees the crowd swell and the space for dancing disappears. It starts feeling like a normal gig again, where no one under six foot can actually see the stage.
But none of that matters once the bass of Polyghost drops and Bonobo's set begins. Simon Green takes you on a sonic journey with the help of his band.
Vocalist Nicole Miglis, who features on the song Surface from Bonobo's sixth studio album Migration , subs in for all the vocals. Draped in a see-through rain coat, she's prepared for the Mancunian weather, but radiates sunshine with her contagious smile.
There's something about dance music with a live band behind it that makes it so much better. Bonobo ends the encore with Kerala , a perfect example of how the artist fuses electronic dance music with sweeping melodies and worldly influences.
Simon signs off, telling the crowd that this was probably his favourite gig of all time. He's not alone.
Read more of today's top stories here.
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