Ibiza Classics - Pete Tong And The Heritage Orchestra, Leeds First Direct Arena

In the early nineties, when house music was imploding, DJ Pete Tong’s early Friday night radio show on Radio 1 became essential listening; for any dance act, getting a track played on his show was a golden ticket to success.

Often regarded as a classic period for dance music from 1991 to the late nineties, many of the songs from that era still resonate with clubbers today – and with those who were there the first time around – many of whom gathered at Leeds Arena to relive those Balearic moments from Ibiza and nights closer to home, recalling Back to Basics in Leeds and clubs in Sheffield such as Gatecrasher and Bed.

As Tong and the orchestra took to the stage, images of Ibiza flashed across the huge video wall above the stage—the prospect of warm summer days contrasted with the cold and windy nights in Leeds—making you want to book your flight to the White Isle next year with definite certainty.

Many of the club classics lend themselves to the lush orchestration that the arrangements here demonstrated – as the opening track, the Fatboy Slim number Right Here, Right Now, proved. “Are you ready to rave tonight?” questioned Tong – it didn’t need an answer – it might have been a midweek night, but that did not stop the fans from partying.

Many of the tracks played tonight from that period were among Tong’s esteemed Essential New Tunes – a record he selected each week that was guaranteed to become a mainstream chart hit, with notable examples being Baby D's Number 1 – Let Me Be Your Fantasy and Robert Miles’ Children.

The inclusion of Sylvester’s You Make Me Feel (Mighty Real) predated the house music period – the disco classic from 1978 was probably there because it lent itself well to the strings of the orchestra. A succession of vocalists took to the stage to perform the songs. Though they did not sing on the original tracks, they gave faithful reinterpretations, the only exception being John Martin, who was the original vocalist on the Swedish House Mafia number Don’t You Worry Child, whose version was authentic, powerful, and soulful.

A pounding bass accompanied each track – at times it was a little too overpowering, obliterating the delicacies of the orchestra conducted by Tom Richards.

Hearing all the dance tracks together showcased what a classic period it was for dance music and that the audience was honoured to experience the era. The thought of the often-obscure dance tracks Tong is apt to play now on his radio show becoming classics in thirty years’ time seemed a remote prospect.

As the Candi Station evergreen, You Got the Love closed the evening; Leeds had certainly got the love on a night that was classic from start to finish.