Finding myself in a sea of strange Lagosians was definitely not how I envisaged my Wednesday night will go. But as the popular saying goes, I guess life threw a couple of lemons at me and this review is the lemonade I made out of it! Since the inception of Industry Nite in 2008, different Lagos scenes have witnessed habitual nocturnal streams out for the mid-week groove which takes place every Wednesday. On this particular one, I happened to be in attendance at the popular restaurant by day, clubhouse by night Spice Route located on 36 Adeola Odeku Street, Victoria Island, Lagos.

Reception: At the gate I met a hive of bouncers and unfortunately, I was rather early so these Dwayne Johnson looking fellows thoroughly had my time. After what I assumed was their protocol and having to part with copies of the magazine I came to distribute, they let me in, a waitress was courteous enough to show me to a seat which I am still grateful for because it enabled me savor the show in its entirety.

Ambiance: Fully air-conditioned, good lighting, live-band and DJ Consequence on deck. The most fascinating thing about Spice Route (you can easily guess this if you’ve been there) is the giant Buddha statue at right angle to the stage. This massive masterpiece is literally a show on its own and mother of all the other Indian artefacts there indicating how deeply rooted Spice Route is in Indian culture.

The Host: This guy had ENERGY. At a point I remember asking myself “Is this guy in the same room that I am in?” because he was sweating from all the vibes he was giving off and I was hella chilled. Note that the event proper hadn’t even started at this point. I have to give it to SPANKY for bringing so much adrenaline to the show.

THE EVENT/PERFORMERS: Korra Obidi, Mz Kiss, Saeon, Immaculate, Emma Nyra, Niniola, Monica Ogah and a host of other performers took to the stage one after the other to thrill the audience with rap, punch lines, nightingale-like singing, dance moves etc. I totally commend the artists’ use of stage or should I say economy of stage because live-band equipment had taken up a good chunk of the space provided. So kudos on still being able to drop and stomp in heels, exuding energy on a hundred.

ATTENDEES: Over a year ago, I observed Lagos night lifers don’t really come for the fun; instead they sip their drink, bore into you with stares, and now added to that, make active snaps when their fave songs come on. Industry Nite had a dose of this in good measure. So yeah, same old story; although a few people DID really dance and turn up. It will be a foul to omit the celebrities I saw in attendance – Naeto C, Uti Nwachukwu, Uche Sensei, Peter of P-Square, Vanessa Mdee from Tanzania and Ehiz the MTV Base Veejay.

DAMAGE DONE: Sound was not top notch as some artists had to switch mics in-between performance and when the DJ was not blasting their song over the speakers, I could barely hear them in their attempt to sing directly into the mic. Do I blame this on their accustom to lip-sync? I also observed when the camera guys notice someone really getting their groove on, they tend to focus on them. The downside to this is that anyone who watches a clip from this event will assume everyone was turned up that much and that was not so. But I guess that’s part of the showbiz trick.

RATING: on a scale of 1-10, I’d jointly rate Industry Nite and Spice Route 7.5


http://www.tushmagazine.com.ng/industry-nite-diary-winifred-ononikpo/