REVIEW: Joy Orbison at No Bounds
Having lived in Sheffield for five years, and as an avid lover of the music scene in the city, it’s with a dose of shame that I admit this was my first ever No Bounds attendance. Following the closure of Hopeworks, the festival’s host and iconic Sheffield venue, No Bounds 2025 marked a new chapter. Having never attended in previous years, I cannot attest to how this year fared in comparison to the past, but I can wholeheartedly say I thoroughly enjoyed my time and eagerly await next year’s instalment.
No Bounds is more than just music; intertwined into the festival is art, technology and community. The hard work and passion that goes into achieving this was felt, and seen, from the beginning. Arriving about half an hour before headliner Joy Orbison was scheduled to start we made our way past the swanky, and bustling, Factory Floor, to head in. Before we quite made it to getting our wrist bands, though, the softly illuminated art installation to the left of the entrance caught my eye. The blue toned light coupled with the soft orange glow emitting from the bar opposite made for an instantly eye catching attraction that demanded we head over for closer inspection. No Bounds prides itself on supporting and showcasing local talent and it was with great pleasure that I recognised the work of local artist, Melville. His recognisable collage style was brought to life on the board and was a reminder of how great our creative scene is. After a few pictures, we made our way inside, briefly chatting to the very friendly door staff who bid us a good night as we were ushered in.
Photo: Scarlett Mills
Hosted this year at Peddler Warehouse, I’d spoken to a friend earlier in the week about how I wasn’t quite sure of what to expect from the monthly-market spot turning into a rave venue. But immediately, I was impressed. The space is large, open, and wide, with the classic industrial markings of a Sheffield venue situated in Kelham. The high ceiling lent itself greatly to the show lasers, which were absolutely fantastic. Pausing at the back of the room to take them in, the expanse of space was lit up incredibly. The lasers danced over the crowd in a mesmerising pattern that almost had me abandoning my plans for drink, but I drew myself away and headed over to the bar. The friendliness of the team was on par with the warmth we’d received at the door, we paid for our fairly priced drinks and made our way towards the dance floor. The crowd was a pleasant mix of ages and a pleasant hum of excitement filled the space as we awaited the headliner himself.
For those not familiar with Joy Orbison, you may recognise his 2009 debut single turned post-dubstep classic ‘Hyph Mngo’, which saw him achieve underground success and remains a fan-favourite to date. I’ve had the luck of catching the London DJ four times now over the last year, and with each set my sheer enjoyment and respect for the man as an artist has only grown. Standing amidst the crowd I got chatting to a guy over a shared appreciation for the laser display. “Have you seen him before?” I asked; he hadn’t. “You’re in for a treat”, I told him.
Photo: Scarlett Mills
A Joy Orbison set is a journey, and an emotional one at that. His sound is a coalescence of many genres; dubstep, UK garage, techno, house, old-school jungle, even hip-hop. You’ll hear it all at a Joy O set. It’s this distinctive, genre-blending sound that makes his sets danceable yet emotionally resonant. A feeling of euphoria underpins so many of his mixes. An almost melancholic, dreamlike feeling encapsulates me when his slower, gentler tracks play. It’s like nostalgia, but for something I’m not quite sure what of? (perhaps a yearning to revisit his previous sets?) When I’m immersed in a set as fully as Orbison's, my recollection afterwards is hazy. The pure sense of joy is pervasive and long lasting, but my track recollection is not the strongest. However, the mix he did of the song ‘DOML’ by Braga Circuit is perhaps the best example I can provide of this unique, beautiful feeling. I encourage any reading to give it a listen.
Fully encapsulated by the soundscape he paints the tracks blend into one another, as does moment to moment. On the dance floor time feels like a distant memory, like it doesn’t exist. The crowd dances and it’s as though we’re hung in time- caught in a moment that feels endless. It’s everything I want from the dance floor; escape, connection, movement. The collective ‘ooo’s’ that ring out from the crowd in appreciation of the drops and mixes are unifying; a shared love of good music is what’s brought us all here, and I never fail to smile when being reminded of it. Joy’s selections are unpredictable and exciting, yet he weaves into every performance the fan-favourite tracks that have given the DJ his recognisable sound and recent accolade with heavy hitter ‘Flight FM’. ‘Flight FM’ in and of itself cemented Joy Orb as one of my favourite DJ’s since I first ever heard it play. It makes me feel alive, and those around me seemed to share similar feelings as the vigour from the track starts to spread through the crowd. It’s at about the half way mark of his two hour set (two hours; what a treat!) that we’re really getting into it. Gone are the gentler tracks and it’s now time for pure energy.
Photo: Scarlett Mills
I don’t think any of us stopped dancing for longer than a moment, his selections demanded movement and the crowd obliged. Situated dead-set at the front I could make out small smiles from Mr. Orbison every now and then as the crowd whistled and whooped in appraisal. Though it felt endless, the night had to draw to a close and the near minute long applause confirmed I wasn’t alone in my admiration for what a brilliant set we’d been treated to. It’s always incredibly special to find an artist with whom’s sound you connect to so passionately, and so all I can say to truly convey this love is: bury me at a Joy Orbison set.
Heading out for smoke after, I particularly enjoyed the red lighting that illuminated the back side of the venue. Moody and dark it reminded me of parts of Joy’s set and felt somewhat reminiscent of a trendy NYC bar. It was great chatting to people outside and hearing their plans of heading to one of the festival’s other venues Dryad Works. At a time where the music scene needs it most, seeing so many people out supporting their local venues was great to see. For myself though, it was home time. Though energetically re-charged, I was physically spent and it was with enormous pleasure that my No Bounds 2025 chapter came to a close.
Words & Photos: Scarlett Mills
