WHILE tens of thousands of Robbie fans, probably in pink cowboy hats, queued to into Hampden, Basement Jaxx were making a beeline for one of the most intimate gigs in years.

Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe had just put in a shift at the stadium warming up for the Robster and were hotfooting it across to the Renfrew Ferry in Glasgow city centre for their own after-party.

The vast spaces of Hampden suited the duo's kaleidoscopic carnival of clubbing and heading the new refurbished Ferry would be a return to their underground roots.

Mash was their warm-up and even though he was noticeably pulling on the reigns, he was on blinding form, teasing out a superb set - Basement Jaxx couldn't have asked for a better man to get the crowd into gear.

From starting their own nights under a church in Brixton, Basement Jaxx have taken on the mantle of elder statesmen of dance and are a bona fide arena act. Straightaway they looked at home in the compact surroundings of the Ferry. Even though it was a major reduction in size, Felix and Simon brought a few props and friends to fill their tiny DJ box.

Accompanied by Simon on live keyboards and effects, Felix hogged the decks whilst their singers took it in turns to MC and belt out a few tunes.

The well proportioned divas were fantastic singing along to the tracks, lifting the crowd up even more. Not that they needed it much as Felix was rocking it on his own. His tune selection of underground house flavoured with reggae and breaks with some classics was outstanding and he was tight on his mixes. Even though they don't spin week in week out, Felix and Simon still have the touch.

They played a old favourites such as White Lines, Milkshake, Gypsy Woman and their own Do Your Thing, but it wasn't all anthembashing. They constructed a superb set, chopping up the sounds and styles with the crowd greeting each tune like a 89th minute cup final winner.

The atmosphere all night was fantastic and despite the Ferry's new makeover, it still ended up a total sweat box. I think even Basement Jaxx will be talking about this one for quite some time.

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