Live Photos and Review: Fatboy Slim - Wellington, Anderson Park

The legend that is Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim has been lighting up stages for literally decades. I was privileged to see him perform 20 years ago; his iconic 2002 Big Beach Boutique set on Brighton Beach. Incidentally, as part of the celebration of this 20th anniversary he has released a new documentary detailing the challenges of putting on one of the largest dance parties the UK had ever seen. He also recently released a 90-minute video of the entire performance on YouTube. One of my overriding memories of that day way back when, was everyone dancing closer and closer as the tide came in. It was exciting and worrying in equal measure.

There were no such concerns about running out of dancing space at Anderson Park. This was the first gig I’d attended at the park and I wasn’t sure as to what to expect. Despite the concert being a sell-out, it was in no way overcrowded. The park is an excellent outdoor venue and I hope to see many more artists making use of the space. On this lovely, warm summer evening there were smiling faces of a huge range of ages everywhere one looked. Everyone was here for a good time and Fatboy Slim duly delivered.

He arrived on stage, bouncing with an energy that very few 59-year-olds could ever match. His big smile reflected on the faces of the crowd. This is a man who clearly enjoys what he does. Increasing the tempo slowly and avoiding the temptation to go hard out too early, he dropped ‘Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat’ and had everyone moving. From then on, I was lost in the music, dancing more than I had in years. The tunes and snippets I remember included Weapon of Choice, Praise You, Rockafeller Skank, Wonderful Night, I See You Baby (Groove Armada), Right Here Right Now (helped along by an astounding Obama visual), Star 69 (my Good Lady Wife’s personal favourite), Fucking In Heaven, Don’t Let The Man Get You Down, and Born Slippy (Underworld). I’m sure I may have missed others from his banger packed 2-hour set.

Cook holds the Guinness World Record for releasing the most Top 40 singles. Admittedly, not all under his Fatboy Slim moniker. However, there is no denying that the man knows a good tune when he hears one. His ability to take snippets of other songs, adding his own special mixture of house, techno, and hip hop and then turning them into big beat classics is nothing short of genius. The lighting and visual effects were equally impressive creating a mesmerising, immersive experience for the audience. One of the highlights of the evening was seeing the recently departed Maxi Jazz from Faithless appear on screen after a simply sublime build up before coming in with that famous melody from Insomnia. A perfect way to pay tribute.

If you were looking for night packed with great tunes, friendly people, in a lovely outdoor setting then Anderson Park was the place to be. The only downside I can think of was it all stopping at 10:00pm. I don’t think I was alone with not wanting the night to stop. In the words of the great talent himself, “It's a wonderful night, Everybody can see.” A wonderful night indeed.

Peruse Bruce Mackay's pics from Fatboy Slim's epic Wellington event by clicking through the thumbnails below...