Diesel on Tour: The Final Battle – Klaxons vs Clean Bandit

Since its opening half a year ago, Oslo Hackney has proven itself time over time, with great gigs and club nights, evidently delicious food and stunning decor. They are visited by the kind of hip clientele that are taking over the flats with ever-increasing rent that are fled from by people fighting the gentrification. On a Wednesday night the average age is slightly lower than usual, with young crowds lining up outside the old railway station. The event of the night is Diesel On Tour’s finale, where fans have voted online to choose the finalist.

First man out on the decks is Klaxon’s Jamie Reynolds. Dressed in a slightly more toned-down outfit than last time he hit Oslo’s club stage (read the review here), he takes over the wheels and boasts out heavy bass with old school inspirations cautiously overlooking the crowd. The audience is a bit slow to pick up on the dancing, and won’t shake a leg until the end of Reynold’s set. Maybe because in the beginning his set felt a bit out of place and not really adapted for Oslo, but in the end when everything fell together you could nothing do but dance.

After a smooth swap and a quick chat between the DJs, Clean Bandit’s Neil Amin-Smith tunes in his beats with a slightly younger approach, but maybe with a bit less integrity: playing tracks from Disclosure and other hits he is more of a crowd-pleaser. The audience delightfully accepts the hit flirtation and keeps going on just like before.

When the two sets have come to an end the voting for a winner is due. The hostess proclaiming the result explains how very even the result is just before closing. Winning with only two percent of the votes, Jamie Reynolds takes home the game for this time and shows that integrity is more worthwhile than hipness.

Johanna Eliasson

For further information about Diesel on Tour and future events visit the show’s website here.

Listen to Clean Bandit’s Diesel on Tour Mix here: