FATBOY SLIM + CHARLIE BOON - LIVE REVIEW

on

Fatboy Slim + Charlie Boon @ Eden Sessions, 
Eden Project - 15/06/2024

I'm going to say this up front, I don't see the word 'weird' as a negative label. I like weird. Weird is interesting, weird is different, weird is wonderful. That said, this is a weird gig. The Eden Sessions, for the uninitiated, take place in front of two enormous biomes that house Mediterranean and Tropical climates so you can walk around under rain forest canopies and spot lizards before grabbing your your pint of cider and head in to the arena. Weird. 

Then came opening DJ Charlie Boon, a new name to me but someone who is clearly a natural and the perfect warm up for a crowd ready to party. A mix of 90s dance bangers given a 21st century reboot and an innate sense for when to slow things down or send the crowd wild with a drop of beats and a big ol' bass lines. I'd say he's one to watch but I think he's pretty much the finished article so maybe it's just a case of one to enjoy. The weirdness here, however, came in the realisation that some of the samples being used and tunes being remixed felt incredibly relevant to me but were considered classics by others in the crowd which made me feel old for a little while. 

The confidence of Norman Cook to take to the stage barefooted and with only a simple set of decks on the stage is testament to the behemoth that Fatboy Slim has become. Introducing himself with the haunting sound of Freddie Mercury's voice singing out across the Cornish evening sky with the opening strains of "Don't Stop Me Now", a tentative sing-a-long starts before being blown out of the water with big beats and hypnotic visuals. And we were off on a journey through the Fatboy Slim back catalogue, some nods to his peers and a fair smattering of songs that have inspired him down the years. Sure, we got flashes of 'When Is the Drop', 'Bad Habits', 'Eat Sleep Rave Repeat' and 'Ya Mama' as well as Rita Ora's giant digital face on the screen singing along to the pair's recent collaboration on 'Praising You' but that's only part of the story. The Chemical Brothers ('Hey Boy, Hey Girl'), Talking Heads ('Burning Down The House'), Rock Master Scott & The Dynamic Three ('The Roof Is On Fire') and Mental Theo ('All I Wanna Do (Is Fuck The DJ)') all added different flavours to the set.

Of course, with just a DJ to look at, you're going to expect some excellent visuals and Mr Slim didn't disappoint. The backdrop displayed a non-stop barrage or AI animated faces, morphing visuals and hypnotising graphics that made my head spin in the best way possible so if anyone managed to sneak anything fruity past the heavy police presence then I can only image how loose their grip on reality would have been by the end of the night. As the sun set and the smoke machines started pumping, the perfectly timed Frankie Goes To Hollywood remix belted out and the crowd's pleas of "hit me with your laser beam" was met with an impressive light show. The show was brought to a close with an outpouring of love in visual and audio form culminating in a mash up of 'Right Here Right Now' and 'Bohemian Rhapsody' as the rainbow lasers beamed out in to the night backed by the message "Only love can conquer hate" on the big screen. There was just time for an encore of 'Rockafeller Skank' with '(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction' before the huddled masses did the obligatory winding shuffle back up the hill to the car park. There were so many weird elements to the night but they all worked in the same way that all the various components, samples and visuals of a Fatboy Slim track work perfectly together. Weird is good. 

More information: