I entered The Warehouse Project for ‘Crosstown Rebels’ with high expectations after having already attended in October on my birthday for ‘Lights Out’, which had set the bar pretty high. I have four words to say and I quote “I WAS NOT DISAPPOINTED”.

I got there around 12pm because any earlier and the Wray & Nephews would have limited my ability to remember anything (that stuff is lethal), if you are there any time soon try the Wray & Nephews fruit punch. Anyway I digress back to the night at hand. When I arrived to Store Street the queue stretched from the entrance to the corner and around onto London Road THIS WAS A SELLOUT EVENT. Luckily the queue for the guest list was considerably shorter so my entrance was a swift one.

Only one word comes to mind when I think of the atmosphere as I entered ‘BUZZING’. The vibe was electric everybody had come for the same thing and that was to rave until their body shut down me included.

The line-up was full of possible rave smashers but the best three sets have to be Art Department, Seth Troxler & Jamie Jones, and I find it really hard to choose which my favourite was, but if the metaphorical gun was placed to my head the set of the night goes to Jamie Jones. Start to finish banger after banger. Sometimes when a DJ is playing I’ll wait till they play a song that I’m not really feeling to go to the bar/toilet. This did not happen.

His tune selection was a mix between well known songs such as Hot Natured’s Forward Motion, (which in my opinion is sing along of the year). When this song dropped I experienced a crowd of over a thousand maybe two thousand people singing along in a mass euphoria. Also, tunes that are not so well known, but instant hits with the crowd. To top it off he finished his set with Chaka Khans ‘Ain’t Nobody’ followed by stage dive / crowd surf. Belting stuff. I recommend that anybody into the ‘Tech House’ movement needs to go and see anyone of these acts as soon as possible.

I’m going to miss Store Street we share some fond memories from Steve Angelo earlier this year on Easter Sunday to Lights Out to Metropolis to Crosstown Rebels, but I look forward to the new location and I am eager to see if it is going to top Store Street.

For those hardcore ravers who just don’t know when to call it a night, welcome the world of ‘Afterlife’. Afterlife is an after hours shindig which starts at 4am and runs until as early or late (it gets very confusing as to whether it’s early or late at these times) as 8am. Tickets for this event are sold inside Warehouse but it is also possible to become a member by sending your full name and details to afterlifemcr@gmail.com.

There is a free minibus services which will take you from Store Street to a club just of Deansgate called South where the Afterlife session is held. On the night in question attendees were treated to an impromptu set from all of the headliners from Crosstown Rebels, with the addition of Manchester’s very own MDNA DJ’s (who happen to be good friends of mine).

When I spoke with DJ Seth Troxler after it he said it reminded him of nights he used to do in his hometown of Detroit and that ‘It’s all love man it’s all love’. By this point the night gets very blurry but one thing that remains the same and that is the good vibe. You leave the club long after the birds have started singing and most people are on there way to work. I did my walk of shame proudly and I would do it again no questions asked.