Having recently caught the tail end of Ilario Alicante’s set at Ibiza’s DC-10, it was great to welcome him to an equally hot London and get to enjoy his full time slot surrounded by his loyal followers. Perhaps it was his appearance that made the temperature spike even further the following morning, the official start of summer in the city!
A Friday night out can be tough to commit to. Admittedly, I wasn’t sure I had it in me to persevere past the point of no return having watched sunset along the Thames. Would’ve been quite content to call it a night but figured we could hit up just one more venue on our riverside hop and see how we felt once the sky had fully lost its turquoise and teal. Mustering up the energy to power through, our uber assumed we were heading home, so seeing a queue in front of a building he’d never driven past before clarified the itinerary he’d assumed was sarcastic. Ilario Alicante made it well worth it!
Be a “Good Egg”
Upon entering Egg, we happened to have an absolutely lovely bartender explain to us the layout, which was massively helpful since it had been a while since I’d been to the venue. Apparently, the ground level has an open terrace this summer. He talked us through what kind of vibe we’d find on each floor and while I was initially keen on checking out the bass-heavy basement, we would’ve absolutely needed earplugs to survive.
We made our way up to the roof to first familiarize ourselves with the space and have a chat, then headed into the main room in time for the main man himself. A decently dark setting at first, as Ilario transitioned house grooves into thumping techno, so too did the space get bathed in colour. Matching the warmth of the bustling crowd, shades of amber and scarlet filled the space, suddenly interrupted by piercing cobalt as he mixed in a deeper beat. The crowd, ranging in age, dress code and group size, was all clearly there to have an enjoyable evening, drama-free and genuinely relishing in the La Familia vibe.
Next time you see his name booked into a lineup, make the time to check out Ilario Alicante’s dynamic mix of pounding bass and melodic touches; maybe you’ll accidentally go dusk ’til dawn too.