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Features
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| Mindbenderz talk ‘Lord of the Rings’ and fishing, as well as the creation of their new album ‘Celestial Gateway’! | | Iono-Music artists One Function, Eliyahu, Invisible Reality and Dual Vision talk Robert Miles, kids, dogs and vinyl, while we chat about their current releases! | | Luke&Flex talk influences, the Irish rave scene, why Flex wears a mask and Play Hard, their new EP out now on Onhcet Repbulik Xtreme! | | Lyktum expands on his new album ‘Home’ – talking about his love of storytelling, creating new harmonies and the concept behind his musical works. | | Pan talks getting caught short crossing the Sahara, acid eyeballs and tells us Trance is the Answer, plus shares his thoughts on his latest release 'Beyond the Horizon' - all from a beach in Spain! | | Miss C chats about living with the KLF, DJing in a huge cat’s mouth, training her brain and the upcoming super-duper Superfreq Grande party at LDN East this Saturday, 16th September! | | NEM3SI$ - I Live for the Night – talks superficiality, psychopaths, and bittersweet success, ahead of a plethora of evocative, emotional, and passionate upcoming melodic techno releases! | | Psy-Sisters Spring Blast Off! We talk to DJ competition winner ROEN along with other super talents on the lineup! | | Blasting towards summer festivals with Bahar Canca ahead of Psy-Sisters Spring Blast! | | Shyisma talks parties, UFO's, and Shotokan Karate ahead of his upcoming album 'Particles' on Iono-Music! | | SOME1 talks family, acid, stage fright and wolves - ahead of his upcoming album release ‘Voyager’ on Iono-Music in February 2023! | | The Transmission Crew tell all and talk about their first London event on 24th February 2023! | | NIXIRO talks body, mind and music production ahead of his release 'Planet Impulse' on Static Movement's label - Sol Music! | | Turning the world into a fairy tale with Ivy Orth ahead of Tribal Village’s 10th Birthday Anniversary Presents: The World Lounge Project | | The Psy-Sisters chat about music, achievements, aspirations and the 10-Year Anniversary Party - 18/12/22! | | A decade of dance music with Daniel Lesden | | Earth Needs a Rebirth! Discussions with Psy-Trance Artist Numayma | | Taking a Journey Through Time with Domino | | New Techno Rising Star DKLUB talks about his debut release White Rock on Onhcet Republik! | | PAN expands on many things including his new album 'Hyperbolic Oxymoron' due for release on the 14th April 2022 on PsyWorld Records! | | Psibindi talks all things music including her new collaborative EP 'Sentient Rays' on Aphid Records, her band Sentience Machine and 10 years of Psy-Sisters! | | N-Kore talks Jean-Michel Jarre, unfinished tracks and fatherhood! | | Celebrating International Women’s Day and Ten Years of Psy-Sisters with Amaluna | | A Catch Up with John Phantasm ahead of his upcoming set at the Tribal Village 4 Day Outdoor Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | 'The Maestro that is Tristan talks barn owls, Shazamming and keeping it Psychedelic ahead of his upcoming performance at the Tribal Village 4 Day Event in Kent 6-9 May 2022! | | DJ talk with Psyrenzo ahead of his debut set at Tribal Village, the Steelyard this Friday 14th January 2022! | | TENZO aka Overdrive talks freely about launching his new act which will be showcased at Tribal Village, Steelyard on 14 January 2022! | | A long overdue catch up with JourneyOM ahead of his next Tribal Village party this Friday 14th January 2022 at the Steelyard, London! | | Goa based party animal and artist extraordinaire Nirmal talks punk concerts, metal sculptures, flying and rippin' it up on a High Tide! | | DJ Wired talks to us about the Rise of the Hope and parties, ahead of his upcoming set at Tribal Village on 14th January 2022! |
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Interview with Astrix: Psychedelic Academy 2 preview
Reported by HarderFaster
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Submitted 28-04-05 02:10
It all started in 1994, when a fresh faced electro dj fell in love with a new sound called trance. Fast forward to 2005 and psy trance is back on track, with Avi Shmailov aka Astrix one of its key saviours. If psy trance is presently the hottest sound on the planet then Israeli live act Astrix must be on fire. Last year he played to thousands in the UK at Antiworld’s first incredible Psychedelic Academy and the spectacular Paradise City at Alexandra Palace. When he wasn’t busy playing at some of the world’s biggest festivals he was holed up in the studio perfecting Artcore, his second artist album, which has now sold over 20,000 copies worldwide.
Avi Shmailov is the world’s fastest rising psy trance star and he’s back in town this weekend to play at Psychedelic Academy 2. Not content to just mix a few records, he’s also treating London to one of his rare live sets. But there’s far more to Astrix than performing: his debut album Eye to Eye was just the beginning of a distinctive stream of psy trance anthems and remixes, and now he’s battling it out in the studio with the likes of John “00” Flemming to make tracks like ‘Third Time Lucky’. HarderFaster caught up with him on the eve of his triumphant return to one of dance music’s greatest spiritual homes, Brixton Academy.
Despite making music since you were a teenager, you didn’t fall in love with trance music until you first discovered it in ‘94. Where were you at the time? Can you remember which dj or track turned you to trance?
I remember that the party was a nature party in the north of Israel, but I didn’t know the DJ or the tracks that I heard.
Out of all the dance music genres, why psy trance? What was and is its appeal?
I like music with power and for that time trance music sounded like an alien language. All you could do was listen and dance. I was so hooked on listening to it that I decided to try and make it myself also. Today I feel that psy trance is a challenging music for an open mind and dancing legs and I will continue to make psy trance… but on the same issue, I would also like to explore other genres in the future.
Before moving to trance you’d been playing classic 80s and electro dance music. Do you ever play that now? Might we see an Astrix classic electro set some time in the future?
I am not the man I used to be  I no longer DJ this music, although I do like to listen to it still.
When I first interviewed you for Upfront magazine last year you said that psychedelic trance was born in the UK and from here it spread to many countries in the world. For those readers who don’t know about psy trance, can you please tell us more about where it started? What makes a trance track ‘psy’ trance?
The first psy trance came from the UK. Labels like Dragonfly, Symbiosis, TIP, Blue Room and artists like Hallucinogen, Man With No Name, Green Nuns of the Revolution, The Infinity Project, Cydonia and Paul Jackson have been the core of the psychedelic trance scene. Butterfly Studios were like a legend of a holy place where the UK finest would gather and produce some of the most mind bending tunes that were later defined as psychedelic.
Who were the first big psy trance djs and producers? Who would you say are the best psy trance dj and producers now?
For me the eternal gods of trance are Juno Reactor. I love all their music and I admire the places that they got to (soundtracks, video games, MTV). Today the biggest trance band I know is Infected Mushroom, who seem to be taking the lead with the international scene.
Do you think it a coincidence that so many of the world’s top psy trance djs and producers come from Israel? Can you tell us a bit about the scene in Israel? I’ve heard you guys throw some wicked outdoor parties!
Trance is big in Israel. Many people listen and dance to this music. It draws a bigger fan base with each passing day and some of the guys who get into producing trance are very talented and come from a rich musical background and/or technical knowledge. I think that Israel is very much a "state in trance" and as a result, its artists understand the value of a well produced track that can take you on a wonderful journey and land you back safely.
You played your first big UK gig at the first Psychedelic Academy last April. Did you find it very different to playing in Israel? How did you find the first Psychedelic Academy?
Each country has a unique energy surrounding the party scene: different people, different cultures and different locations. The UK is very special for me and to play at Brixton Academy is like a daydream for me. It is one of the most significant landmarks of my musical career and it will be hard to top that feeling of achievement.
The second time you played a big gig in the UK was at last December’s awesome Paradise City at Alexandra Palace. Did you enjoy the Ally Pally gig? Was Alexandra Palace very different to play in than Brixton Academy?
Ally Palley was awesome. The place was like magic and the party felt more like a live concert. I had an amazing time there but Brixton Academy was more hectic. The place has a certain energy that overwhelmed me more than the Palace. It’s just that the first Brixton gig felt more like a rave while the palace felt more like a concert. Both have been positive experiences, but Brixton got me deeper.
Traveling around the world making music is a dream life. What’s your favorite place that you’ve traveled to? What party have you played at around the world that you enjoyed the most?
One place where I had a very good party was Cancun, Mexico. I was there for the first time a few years ago (with Infected Mushroom). The party was on a beautiful white sand beach surrounded by a wild jungle. The energy was good and I felt like I was taking part in a legend more than real life.
Do you ever get tired of life on the road? What do you like to do when you’re back in Israel relaxing?
No vacation for me. My relaxation from life on the road is working in the studio. When you play every weekend and often more than one party, you need to refresh your music a lot. Because of that and because of the passion I have for this music, I don’t take time off but rather spend it in the studio between my trips.
You said in Upfront magazine that: “The privilege of creating your own music and sound and the satisfaction of playing it all over the world and experiencing the different reactions from different crowds is a learning experience that has a lot to do with the evolution of my music creation and artistic persona.” Can we take it from that statement that you get a lot of creative inspiration from your travels? Where else do you get inspiration from? How have you evolved as an artist since you wrote that statement?
You find yourself back at home after the party feeling like the party was. If the party was good, you are inspired to go into the studio and make a good track. If the party was bad, I prefer to stay away from the studio until the bad feeling fades. Other things that inspire me are girls, certain places in the world and the most driving inspiration comes from the people who give me good feedback about my music and make me want to produce more and more and more.
When did you first start producing your own tunes? Has it been a steep learning curve? What software do you like to use in the studio?
I made my first track when I was 15 — ‘In Peace’. It was released on Krembo records. I think that since then I have advanced by light years.
The technology is going hand in hand with the production and studio so that each day there is a new instrument or a new learning tip that did not exist the day before. In my studio I have a dual board Pentium 6.4gigahrz /4giga ram, Pulsar soundcard, RME digital convertor 8in/8out, UAD card, Yamaha motif ES6, Virus, Nordlead 2, Orbit, Blue Bottle microphone, DBX pre-amp, Dynaudio BM6, Samson amp, Cuebase SX3, Logic audio and various virtual instruments and plugins.
Do you have any new productions on the horizon you’d like to tell readers about?
I just finished a new chill out track called ‘Endless Mind’. It will be out on HOMmega (my label). I did 3 collaboration tracks with DJ John “00” Fleming (to be release on Joof), with Sub6 and with Domestic. I intend to remix a classic Infected hit and after that to go into works on my 3rd album, which will be released in 2006 and in this album I hope to have a special track that will be fit for the masses and it will be accompanied by a well invested video clip.
You’ve recently collaborated with John “00” Fleming to make a new single ‘Third Time Lucky’. How did the collaboration come about? Did you enjoy working together in the studio? Is there anyone else you’d like to collaborate with?
I was introduced to John by my label manager - Eyal Yankovich, who is a close friend of John. John has been pushing my name very hard and I appreciate him as I also feel that we have a lot in common. We are both always in search of the cross-over trance; the music that is more open to both sides of trance. Our collaboration track took 3 visits from John to Israel (hence the name ‘3rd time Lucky’). We had a jolly good time in the studio and John is now best friends with my cat — Jimmy John will also be supporting my upcoming Brazil tour in July (7 gigs). I would love to collaborate with artists out of the psy genre like Tiesto or Chemical Brothers. On the trancey side I would like to make a track with the psy gurus Simon Posford (Hallucinogen/ Shpongle) or Juno Reactor.
If you could plan your dream party, where would it be? Who would you ask to play?
My dream party would be at the pyramids of Egypt with a dream line up of Juno Reactor, Hallucinogen/Shpongle, Infected Mushroom, Domestic, Sub6, GMS, Shanti, Xerox & Illumination, John "00" Fleming, DJ Eyal Yankovich (HOMmega) and on top of that I would like Linkin Park to play a live
What are your top five albums of all time?
Linkin Park — ‘Meteora’
Infected Mushroom — ‘Classical Mushroom’
Enigma — ‘Voyager’
Sub6 — ‘Who Needs Love Songs’
Hallucinogen — ‘The Lone Deranger’
What are your top five tracks of all time?
Man With No Name — ‘Teleport’
Infected Mushroom — ‘Symphonatic’
Hallucinogen — ‘L.S.D’ (and many more)
Astral Projection — ‘Ma’adeva’
G.M.S — ‘Caterpillar’
What are the five tracks you’d play to get a slow crowd moving faster?
Astrix — ‘Follow Me’
G.M.S & Wrecked Machines — ‘Round & Round’
Astrix — ‘Coolio’ (Infected Mushroom remix)
Astrix — ‘On Fire’
Astrix & DJ HighGuy — ‘Chaos’
What advice would you give the many wannabe djs and producers reading this?
Follow your dreams and don’t give up. A true breakthrough happens when you manage to invent a new style or sound in your genre.
If you manage to do that — you will succeed. Don’t imitate... innovate!
You’ve recently mixed a double CD compilation for Psychedelic Academy 2 where you chose the tracks for the first CD and Eyal Yankovich picked the tunes for the second. How did you choose the tracks? Did you like everything Eyal chose? Was it hard to mix tunes you hadn’t picked yourself?
I mixed only the first CD. The second CD is a bonus unmixed CD compiled by Eyal Yankovich.
When I picked up tracks for my mix, I tried to find tracks that have an appeal for more than just the psychedelic people. The CD’s boundaries are much wider as the productions are high and the musical value of the tracks has more in it than just a dance floor tune. Just like in my own music I picked only tracks with a story to tell!
At Psychedelic Academy 2 you’re going to play a dj set and a live set. What can your fans expect? Do you prefer to dj or play live? How are the sets going to be different for you?
As this event is actually the launch of my new compilation, my DJ set will feature a showcase of tracks taken from the compilation itself. Regarding the live set, my fans can expect to hear live versions of the hits from my last album — ‘Artcore’ — plus the new tracks that I have made since (by myself and with Delirious, Domestic, Michele Adamson and John “00” Fleming).
Finally, are there any UK djs/musicians you want to check out when you’re in London next month? Or will you be getting early nights to get up early and to go site seeing?
I have a few important meetings with some people from the industry and my visit will be too short to go sight seeing. Maybe next time, I hope.
Thanks for your time and looking forward to seeing you play at Psychedelic Academy 2!
Thank you!
The forthcoming album ‘Psychedelic Academy’ mixed by Astrix will be out in the shops shortly on Hitmania.
Photos courtesy of Astrix, HOMmega and Tom @Cypherpress.
"Psychedelic Academy 002"
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On:
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Sunday 1st May 2005
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At:
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Brixton Academy [map]
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From:
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9pm to 6am
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Cost:
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www.antiworld.net
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Website:
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www.antiworld.net
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Ticket Info:
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Ticket Outlets:
Special Offers:
The Ticket price for this event will go up towards the date of the show.
Tickets on sale now...so please do not leave it to late:
From 10 March 2005 to 20 March 2005 = £ 18 + B/f
From 21 March 2005 to 01 April 2005 = £ 20 + B/f
From 01 April 2005 to 15 April 2005 = £ 22 + B/f
From 16 April 2005 to 01 May 2005 = £ 25 + B/f
General Group Offer: 1 Free Ticket Every 10 Sold!!! (only at the office 02083658918)
More @ The Doors...
Offers Available Until Stock Last.
Purchasing advance tickets will enable you to claim a £ 1 discount on the purchase of the 'Psychedelic Academy' double CD
mixed by Astrix, available from all good record stores from May the 9th. As an exclusive preview CDs signed by Astrix will
be available at the Brixton Academy merchandise outlet on the night.
Please retain your ticket stub to claim your money off discount. Only available from selected retailers. Only one ticket stub redeemable per purchase.
Please note we do not charge the booking fee in the Office = Direct Line = +44(0)2083658918
All the usual ticket outlets in UK...
Antiworld Box Office [London N15] 02083658918 [No Booking Fee],
Mamma Maria [Everywhere] 07813684399,
Fabry [Camden Town] 07904167916,
Ticket Master [24 Hours] 08700600100,
Swear [Camden] 02074857182,
Cyberdog [Camden] 02074822842,
Psychedelic Dream Temple [Camden] 02072678528,
Access All Areas [Camden Town] 02072678320,
Banging Tunes [London] 02073235303,
Banging Tunes [Brighton] 01273571605,
Illegal Records [Brighton] 01273623454,
Mad Records [Covent Garden] 02074390707,
Stargreen Box Office {Argyll Street} 02077348932,
Eukateck Records [Covent Garden] 02072408060,
Silverback Records [City] 02074049456,
UDM [Enfield] 02083665422,
The Record Box [Gants Hill] 02085516358,
Wax City [Croydon] 02086809621,
Graffiti [Reading] 01189500123,
Streetwise [Cambridge] 01223300496,
Dance 2 Records [Guildford] 01483451002,
Avid Records [Oxford] 01865243741,
Massive Records [Oxford] 01865250476,
Destiny [Bournemouth] 01202467486,
Hands On Records [Portsmouth] 02392755750,
Vinyl Rhythm [Southend] 01702436893,
Pure Vinyl [Eastbourne] 01323732020,
Phat Trax [Milton Keynes] 01908314006,
Spin a Disc [Northampton] 01604631144,
Trip to Records [Southampton] 02380223982,
Richard Records [Canterbury] 01227452260,
Rocket [Rochester] 01634817848,
Jack Records [Sheffield] 01142767093,
Spectrum Music [Folkestone] 01303253878,
Vince [Midlands] 07976382466,
Please call 02083658918 for more outlets for this special party.
Tickets On Line:
www.antiworld.net
www.accessallareas.org
www.ticketweb.co.uk
www.ticketmaster.co.uk
www.therecordbox.com
www.e-listlondon.com
www.stargreen.com
More Info:
Enrico : 0044 (0) 7940 527 867 (North London)
Maria : 0044 (0) 7813 684 399 (All Areas)
***: Subject To Licence; ***: Line Up Subject To Change!
www.antiworld.net
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Buy Online:
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Click here to buy tickets
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More:
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Attractions:
4500 Capacity London SW2!!
9 Hr Of Non Stop Music!!
4 Rooms Of Music!!
1 Venue!!
Headliners From :
Israel, Germany, Italy, UK, Holland, Brazil, Gibraltar, Russia!!!
Music Stiles:
Hard Uplifting Trance & Acid
Progressive & Full On Psychedelic Trance
Techno
Tek House
London Hard & Acid Techno
Hard House & Hard Dance
House
Electro
Funky Brazilian Beats
Chill-Out
Bars, Stalls, Decors, Lasers, Sound Systems, Visuals & The Full Antiworld Production.
Performers: Kwalilox & Headfunk Pyro Circus & Steph!!!
“BE INSPIRED”….
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Flyer:
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 - 
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Region:
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London
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Music:
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Hard Trance. Tech Trance. Psy Trance. Nu NRG. Hi NRG. House. Deep House. Funky House. Hard House. Prog House. Tribal House. Acid Techno. Funky Techno. Techno.
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DJ's:
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The Main Stage:
Psygate In Collaboration With HOMmega Production Present:
"Knocking On Heaven's Doors"
Feat: Psychedelic Academy CD 002 Launch Mixed By Astrix!
Vlad Vs Green Vapor
(Psygate/Destroyers/Russia)
Kristian Vs Simo
(Psygate/Phantasm Records/Alchemy Records/Gibraltar/Italy)
Eduardo
(Neurobiotic/Sonica 2005 Festival/Italy)
Eyal Yankovich Dj Set
(HOMmega Production/Israel)
Sub6 (Live) Feat.Jah-Nathan
(HOMmega Production/Israel)
Astrix (Live)
(HOMmega Production/Israel)
Astrix Dj Set
(HOMmega Production/Israel)
Infected Mushroom (Live) Feat The Israeli Guitarist – Erez Netz!
(HOMmega Production/Israel)
Dali (Live)
(HOMmega Production/Israel)
Second Floor: "The Foyer"
Antiworld Vs Discipline And Teknoworld Vs Technoelement (Austria):
Hard Trance, Dance & Techno!!!
DJ Centurian Vs Neil Pepi
(Antiworld/The Alliance)
Phil Able Vs Grazer
(Antiworld/Cyberdog)
Eduardo Herrera Vs Matt Handy
(Antiworld/Hands On)
Ross Vs Moon
(Antiworld/Discipline)
Simon Eve
(Antiworld/Recharge)
Jackie The Misfit
(Antiworld/Chemical Warfare)
Sterling Moss
(Raceway Recordings/3 Decks & Effects & 909!)
Dj Van Bass Vs Dj Rasheed Wallace
(Teknoworld International Residents - Austria)
Animatek Vs Gas
(Teknoworld/Acid Park/Techno Element)
Chris Liberator VS D.a.v.e The Drummer
4 Decks & 2 Mixers!!!
(Teknoworld/London)
Third Floor:"The Vip Bar"
Introducing:
"Electro"
In Collaboration With Neon!
Electro, Electroclash, Electrotrance!!!
Alexander Robotnick
(Hot Banana - Hot Elephant Music, Italy)
Toogood
(Fesh)
PANIC
(Slimelight, Synthetic Culture, Electronics Anonymous, Stunners, Neon)
AKTARUS
(Stunners, Neon)
Gordon V
(Neon)
Choronzon
(Kaos, Mix Up)
Bradley
(Kaos)
Fourth Floor: "The Chill Out"
In Collaboration With Clockwork Prism!
Line Up:
The Residents:
Mandie More Vs Jonty
Xtensa Vs Green Al
Greg Prism Vs Nautilus
The International Special Guests:
Dj Stefan x
(Frankfurt/M./Cocoonclub/Earesistible Musik) Germany
Dj Frank*n
(Galerie 7/UFO Cocoon club) Germany
Dj Nanda
Chillosophy Music | Interchill Records (Chile-Sweden)
Dj Nova
(Ultimae Rec./Fairy Tales) Italy/UK
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Other Features By HarderFaster:
HarderFaster Awards 2016 - The results are in!
HarderFaster Awards 2014 - The results are in!
Lashes, Dimples and the Brighton Music Conference
HarderFaster Awards 2013 - The results are in!
HarderFaster Awards 2012 - The results are in!
The views and opinions expressed in this review are strictly those of the author only for which HarderFaster will not be held responsible or liable.
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The second pic was at Alexandra Palace last December and the third pic was at Psychedelic Academy at Brixton Academy last year!!! Wicked 
