Sporty Spice Is Hitting The Decks

There were many events on Friday the 10th of May in Auckland, yet all of them were at Studio the Venue on Auckland’s K Road. Tickets sold well in advance; when someone as famous as the Spice Girls Melanie C hits the decks, competition for tickets ensues, as does competition for the supporting DJ slots, so we only got the best.

I’ll always wonder why Auckland starts so late. Many cities are in full swing at 7:30pm, yet with the venue doors open at 9, all was quiet. Soon Aunty El stoked the fire as people filtered in. The always entertaining Mean Gurls stepped it up with a well-honed set in preparation for the main event. 

Melanie C – AKA  Sporty Spice hasn’t lost a bit of her bounce. She’s swapped pop-tunes for the decks, but the energy remains. A deep and hard set kept the capacity crowd at maximum enjoyment. I’ve never seen so many mother-daughter groups gyrating like they’d got a vibra-train for Christmas.  A diverse audience it was! – any and every type was at the gig, such is the pull of Girl Power decades later, and the girl band that defined it. Girl power was what this night was about. 

Doodes took the handover as Melanie C danced out her last track taking a big risk with a long bridge before ripping the audience apart with the deepest dirtiest grooves of the night. Palpable relief from the dance floor as everyone realised the night was getting better yet. Many had been on the dance floor for five hours by now and a few started retiring for water, but most never did, such was the magnetism of Miss Doodes. Oozing technique and brimming with musicality, she elevated the night to audacious, outrageous,  and many other superlatives the editor will remove. Doodes herself described it as a “pinch me moment for sporty spice support duties”.

Her brilliance was underlined in the aftermath when the Ministry of Sound booked Doodes for their Auckland gig on their huge Testament Australasian Tour – Friday 6th September – Studio the Venue. I’ll be there. People will say “Were youat that Doodes gig?” Beyond memorable, it was epic. I was there on the 10th of May. You’re going to see more of Miss Doodes.