Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you would’ve heard of Marlo. Currently he is one of the hottest things in dance music right now, dominating dance floors across the globe.
I’ve known Marlo for the best part of 10 years now, and seeing his profile grow from strength to strength over that time, has been amazing to witness. So being there for his first Sold out National Solo Arena style shows was a true honour. I was pretty excited to come and see exactly what he had in store for us with his new branded Altitude Show. This also happily gave me another opportunity to catch up with his beautiful wife Janette, also known as Jano to her fans (and might I add a star in her own right) but that’s another story… back to the show.
There was huge hype building up to this night and I’m not surprised in the least, the whole show was an amazing spectacle from start to finish. It pretty much had something for everyone… including two of the scene’s most beloved female vocalists in Christina Novelli and Emma Hewitt. Who were both true stand outs on the night.
Getting proceedings underway was Armada Music’s very own gun producer Ruben de Ronde, who was the main supporting act and warm up dj for the whole tour. He was quality, and his brand of groove laden progressive perfectly complimented what was to come. His set was spot on for the early timeslot.
By now the vibe in the room was electric… you could tell that Marlo was about to take the stage. I gotta say, even I had some goose bumps from the buzzing crowd, and I’ve been doing this for a long time!
There really are too many standout moments to mention; but of particular note for me, was Marlo dropping his remix of The Prodigy’s “Smack my bitch up” into the banging remake of the classic “Touch Me” (In the Morning). Along the way we heard some big drops, some epic vocals and a “Little Something” by Above & Beyond, oh and possibly the biggest track of the night, (going by the reaction), Marlo’s own massive anthem….”Visions”.
Always a huge crowd pleaser whenever Marlo plays, is “Haunted”, a huge anthemic number featuring the vocals of wife Jano. This track never ceases to amaze, and seeing the whole venue singing along in full voice during the chorus is spine tingling.
Marlo’s set was epic to say the least, but if that wasn’t enough, accompanying Marlo intermittently throughout his set was Christina and Emma. The room went wild when Emma jumped up on stage to sing “Imagine”and Dash Berlins hit Waiting. Watching her command the stage and interact with the crowd was impressive. She really is a rock star.
Not to be outdone, Christina Novelli’s rising rendition of Gareth Emery’s “Concrete Angel” almost stole the show. The crowd lapped it up. Christina’s energy on stage is absolutely infectious, she really was a crowd favourite.
Ending what was already a fabulous show, and a bit of a treat for his Australian fans, was Marlo’s newly coined set…Tech Energy. This is a showcase of his harder side, spanning tech trance and psy. I can’t even express how well received this set was. He now totally had HQ in the palm of his hand.
Altitude was big room trance, done on a scale usually reserved for the heavyweights in the scene.
Well now you can add one of our very own to that esteemed list. Well done Team Marlo. This is a huge achievement. Bring on the next one.
Words by Kathryn Robertson
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