On Saturday the 3rd of May, 2014, around 1000 eager ravers made their way through the crisp, 12 degree Autumn coldness as they gathered inside Sydney’s The Metro Theatre to celebrate their love for hardstyle, but most importantly, stand in front the “god of hardstyle”, Frontliner.
This highly anticipated weekend of Frontliner madness, powered by Q-Dance did not cease to amaze visitors to all 3 shows, with both the Friday show in Melbourne and the Saturday show in Sydney sold out. As the tour was just around the corner, a third show was announced at Sydney’s Home Bar on the Sunday night to allow all fans a chance to experience the magic .

The outside environment was nippy, the pavement of George Street was damp but there was no sight of any dampened spirits inside the Metro Theatre. Walking up the stairs I felt a surge of excitement hit me as I heard the powerful bass, I knew that tonight would be a night consisting of many surprises…

Prior to the show, Frontliner evidently showed a special interest in the Australian hardstyle scene as he announced collaborations with rising acts Dillytek and Synthsoldier. Excitement filled the air as he posted preview videos of his collaborations with the Aussie acts, with both tracks demonstrating such originality and musical precision and also giving a great opportunity for Dillytek and Synthsoldier to be mentored by one of the greatest hardstyle producers in history. If Frontliner’s faith in the Australian scene wasn’t enough, there definitely were more surprises ready to blow the socks off the Australian crowd, including his unique new live performance gear which raised the level of anticipation of his set after he posted a video of himself using the gear to literally re-create his music on the spot.

And what can I say… His set was one of true magic as he re-created his tracks to match the definition of absolute perfection.

I was lucky enough to be sitting in a prime position on somebody’s shoulders when the “melodyman” appeared on the stage in front of a packed out room of die-hard fans. He well and truly built up the crowd’s anticipation during his 3 minute introduction. As I looked behind my back at the lively crowd, I saw a fuckload of phones and cameras out, anxiously awaiting the drop into his very first track.

When Frontliner finally dropped his first track “Pull Tuuduuu Over (2010 Extended Edit)”, all feet danced around the floor like it was the last night on this Earth, euphoric vibes bounced around at this celebration like no other and the hardstyle community all united as one to witness this spectacle of true talent and passion. Throughout Frontliner’s set, I noticed that there were so many extra dedicated fans that knew every single note, every single melody and every single lyric, doing various hand interpretations and movements to match the beat of the track. I have to say that I was beyond impressed with the crowd, the atmosphere was wholesome and one of true connectedness.

Just when you think Frontliner had pulled all the surprises out of the bag for his audience, Kat Niall appeared on stage to sing “Indestructible”, and although the echo was evident, her beautiful voice wowed the audience and the crowd was so thankful to have Kat add even more emotion to that beautiful track.

In terms of Frontliner’s set, many other attendees at this event would agree that his choice of songs for his set were spot on perfect, he played his classics such as Halos, Discorecord, Lose the Style and his masterpiece Defqon 1 anthem of 2013, Weekend Warriors.
Also inviting the boys from Dillytek onto the decks to present their masterpiece collaboration “Elevate” to the audience, I can happily smile and say that the track was outstanding – and so was the response from the crowd.

*Frontliner and Aussie heroes Dillytek performing their collab*

Before I can go any further, I just HAVE to mention the staging and the lights. Once again, Q-Dance did not disappoint as they delivered a powerhouse display of intricately extravagant lighting and also a unique stage design. Really great production, great speakers – and although there was a minor speed bump with the overexcited bass, Frontliner used his new technology to his advantage, ensuring that the sound was perfected and the crowd was content.

Another huge contribution to the night were the supporting acts. When I arrived to the venue I had missed the first act Dune, luckily I got to witness Hawman, who was building up the vibe with the sweet sounds of sub-ground. Newcomer duo Omyqron jumped up to the decks, quickening up the pace as they did a fantastic opening set for the Swedish act Wasted Penguinz, who are well renowned for their contribution to many ravers euphoric “feels”. The Wasted Penguinz played a set that kept feet moving on the dance floor, showcasing some of their most renowned tracks such as “I Miss You” (with Chris One) and “Melancholia” as well as bringing up some old memories and evoking the crowd with “Psychedelic” by Headhunterz .

They built up the positive vibes right up until 1:30AM when the melody-man was set to bless the decks.

Back to Frontliner’s set, I was highly impressed with his connection to the crowd, I felt as though he truly respected all of his fans as he went above and beyond to make us smile. The fact that he improvised his productions on the spot, whilst also connecting personally with the crowd added an incredible third dimension to his set, mind you his use of his new gear was flawless. He ventured to where so many other producers have never been before in terms of live production and also in terms of the tour itself. He became a mentor for the rising stars in the Australian hardstyle scene, taking the time out to collaborate and build a platform for Dillytek and Synthsoldier to stand upon which is so truly unique and demonstrates his love and dedication for hardstyle and also the future generation of producers…

And if THAT wasn’t enough, he even broke the 4th wall with the audience, jumping down from the decks and jumping in a huge crowd photo with our incredible host for the night MC D. Mind you, that was not the last surprise the Melodyman had in store… For all of the hardcore lovers in the crowd, there was guaranteed energy when he concluded his set with a hardcore edit of “I’m The Melodyman”, which was definitely a great track to finish off a truly amazing one and a half hours of intense energy.

Although we had danced our hearts out for hours on end already, the party was far from finished when Frontliner stepped down from the decks… Toneshifterz appeared in front of us and as soon as I thought there would be a crazy rush of energetic ravers running outside to have a breath of fresh air, the crowd remained inside the main room keeping the vibe high. The Metro stayed full of dedicated hardstyle lovers until the crack of dawn when The Strangerz wrapped up the night with some rawstyle madness and when 6am rolled around, hundreds of satisfied ravers spilled out onto George Street to recollect their minds that had evidently been blown due to this remarkable gathering…

A couple of days later and I think that post Frontliner depression may be evident across the souls of Australia…

Huge thanks to Q-Dance for throwing an absolutely unforgettable party, you guys never cease to amaze as the production was flawless.
Hats off to all of the amazing support acts including Wasted Penguinz, Toneshifterz, Dune, Hawman, The Strangerz and all other acts involved in the night.

Also, congratulations to the Dillytek boys and Synthsoldier on the amazing collaborations with Frontliner as well as Omyqron for the collaboration with Wasted Penguinz, you guys are doing Australia proud and we cannot wait to hear more!

Lastly, I’d like to thank Frontliner for doing this exclusive Australian tour. He went above and beyond for his fans, for the other artists idolise him and he put on an extraordinary show that will never be forgotten. The love and passion Frontliner bought to the stage that night is what hardstyle is all about and I must say, Australia is already anxiously awaiting for his return! Keep up the fantastic work, as I am highly excited to hear and also see the future productions of our Dutch “god of hardstyle”.