- The last ever I Love Acid party marked the end of a six-year run for the series. It also marked the end of Josh Doherty's run as a promoter, after 14 years of throwing parties with the likes of Aphex Twin, Luke Vibert and Goldfrapp in places like prisons, cinemas and disused tube stations (as well as clubs). Bringing together the residents and regulars, and throwing an array of inflatable rave toys and glow sticks into the equation, the final I Love Acid explored all corners of the 303's signature squelch, with several artists delivering the most unique acid sets I've ever heard.
Some chose to celebrate the sound in what you might call a classic sense. Syntheme, one of the earlier acts, rolled out pile-driver kicks with wonkiness on top, accelerating the tempo to breakneck speed at one point. Shadow Dancer played classic acid tracks with a slightly deeper, more groovy feel. Posthuman (Doherty's act) were all over the place, delivering a set where Frankie Knuckles rubbed shoulders with Lone before the duo finished with their own "So Cruel." The crowd duly went bananas when Luke Vibert came on and immediately dropped an unheard version of "I Love Acid" that he'd made specially for the occasion, before heading into his own brand of lysergic funk.
Other artists had completely innovative takes on the sound. Emotive acid lines that sang like vocals were front and center during Placid's set, before he blithely finished with Yello's "Oh Yeah." Plaid had rave elements scattered throughout their performance: piano stabs, diva vocals and, of course, acid lines. But everything was just a bit away from where it should've been. The vocals were washed into indecipherability, the piano stabs were weirdly discordant, and the grooves were muted echoes of ones that might have been fully pumping—in other words, it sounded very much like Plaid. It was a testament to the 303's ability to rock a party, and the promoter's ability to throw one, that both rooms were still packed come 7 AM.