Written By Kylie Vesey

 

Friday the 31st of January saw the premiere of Pandora’s Box at the Fortitude Valley Music hall and we can tell you it went off with a massive BANG!! This joint venture and vision has been brought to life from the hardstyle kings at Shokk Events (Andy Nguyen and Andy Vo) and GoHakka (Harry K). 

 

Knowing that the Shokk team were involved this was one event we were excited to follow, as the amount of passion and production these boys bring to any event is second to none. 

 

Pandora’s box built anticipation very early throwing out little teasers which had us eagerly awaiting the first taste of what was to come for this new indoor festival. When the first artist was announced it instantly had us wanting to attend, with myself committing to fly from Melbourne to be apart of this epic event. I mean W&W are a huge name on the EDM scene and they bring ravers from all over. Some people travel the globe to see a name like this and having it in our own backyard was ELECTRIFYING. The second artist release saw our much loved Aussie trance legend MaRLo. Everything MaRLo has been producing the past year has been absolute FIRE so it was a no brainer that we were going to attend. 

 

In the weeks following, many local QLD artists were added to the lineup and our very own Shokk boys also making an appearance which we were excited about!

 

Fast forward to the day of Pandora’s box and it's clear to say that we were eagerly awaiting nightfall to experience this new festival. I was lucky enough to run into MaRLo in the hotel lobby, who kindly allowed us to take a photo with him. This is the second time this year I have had the pleasure of meeting MaRLo and both times he has been nothing short of polite and welcoming! Another fangirl moment right there for me. 

 

Upon entering the Fortitude Music Hall it was clear that the level of production that had been put into Pandora's Box was huge. It was incredible -  with lazers going everywhere, smoke machines, fireworks on the stage, half moons hanging from the roof which had dancers hanging from them and massive LED screens around the DJ stage. It was clear they were making a big statement.

 

Intermission between Bobby Neon, and MaRLo offered a spectacle with performers dancing from the roof, fire twirling and a full show. Myself and the rest of my crew were in awe of the place and could not wait for what was to come. 

 

Let me take you through the top highlight artists of the night as they were something very special. 

 

Bobby Neon: 

For those of you who aren’t too familiar with this name, or may know him as Weaver, listen up as this is someone you need to get around! Bobby Neon is fast becoming a name on the Trance scene and I can see why. He played an incredible set which transported me to another place. The lasers  were insane throughout his set and the entire venue was lit up. Not only did he play some of all time classics from the likes of Dash Berlin, he played some new tracks which we are excited to see released! His set had everything from those nostalgic trance bangers, to harder more psytrance moments and the crowd loved it. This is the first time I have seen Bobby Neon and I can tell you I was left wanting MORE! Stay tuned for our interview with the legend in the coming weeks.

 

W&W:

This is a name in the EDM scene that everyone should know as they are fast catapulting themself all over the world. It was clear that many were here to see this headlining act as the venue packed out right before their set.. Coming to the stage the crowd erupted with cheer whilst we were all eagerly awaiting them to start. The set started with incredible visuals and their traditional rave culture opening, just making us all wait that little bit longer. They opened with their traditional high energy crowd engagement and everyone went wild. The entire set featured all of the classic W&W tracks that we know and love. Throughout the set everyone was going insane and it was clear no one wanted it to end. Right before closing out they played Crowd Control.That was one opportunity we weren't missing and  straight away we all wrapped arms and started jumping to the left left left, to the right right right. All and all it's fair to say W&W put on an epic show that left the crowd wanting more!

 

MaRLo:

Where do we even start with MaRLo?  This year has seen him skyrocket beyond anything with each show he does bringing something special and this was no exception. With the focus on Pandora's Box being a little on the harder side of EDM, I was curious to see what would be of MaRLos set. Having seen him a number of times in the past year I wondered if we would see full trance or a harder style MaRLO. Right before he came on the crowd started to fill with MaRLo fans wearing allitute shirts and it was clear they were here for him. 

 

As MarLo took to the stage he brought with him a different kind of energy,  and it was absolutely electric. I'd almost compare it to his weekend 1 Tomorrowland mainstage set, it gave me that type of feeling. He played a very different set to what I have seen before. There were the typical MaRLo bangers and of course lighter than air, he also dropped AVAO'S cosmic order which everyone went nuts for. His set was a lot harder than I've ever seen him play and I can say I LOVED IT! Throughout the set his crowd engagement was huge, and at one point he even came out the front of the stage dancing and jumping around. This to me was a different MaRLo, but in true style he KILLED IT! Let's wait and see if this is the beginning of a different style MaRLo.  I am beyond excited to find out!

 

AVOX, HEKTIC and DRUID:

The closing set presented hardstyle DJs AVOX, HEKTIC and DRUID who all took the stage  together. In true hard EDM Brisbane style once these 3 hit the stage the true fans came forward. These DJs threw together a B2B set that was full of everything great about hardstyle. All 3 worked the stage and the crowd with so much passion and interaction, which from the producers of the event is great to see! AVOX and HEKTIC really get involved in every aspect of their events. One of the best moments was when AVOX got on the mic asking for a hey ho and was greeted with a "Fuck yeah" he proceeded to say hey ho again the crowd throwing down another "Fuck yeah" in true hardstyle fashion and It's clear to say the hey ho's are dead in the hardstyle scene, not that we’re complaining! 

 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Overall I was impressed with the level of detail put into the event, the artists brought incredible sets and even the wait times at the bar were very minimal. With this being a new event I would rate it a very successful one that left the crowd wanting more!  Myself and the BTD team are looking forward to seeing what is next for Shokk and GoHakka because if it is anything like Pandora's Box it is sure to be a success. Let us know your thoughts on what you thought of Pandora’s Box by dropping us a comment!

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