There’s a bunch of us waiting at Nørreport, cans in hands, mumbling passionately with a slight sense of secrecy. On a normal Tuesday, you might think this would be because FCK are playing the Champions League qualifiers (and will subsequently get their behinds handed to them), but that is not why. As the next Metro cart approaches and a distant rumble grows increasingly audible, there is no doubt that the Nørreport crowd is here to join this year’s Trans Metro Express. The few casual commuters look puzzled as a jam-packed train, filled to the brim with hundreds of ravers, picks us up. To be fair, squeezing in any more people is a challenge in itself, but once inside, nobody cares about the steam on the windows.
We’re crossing Copenhagen numerous times, the mood rising with each stop. Tonight, ”Skååål!” is a perfectly suitable greeting for Metro-station onlookers, some of whom look confused and either stay at a safe distance or rush in to join the festivities. Inside, we’re crammed together as I don’t know what, but nobody lets the tight squeeze get them down. Instead, the surprisingly capable Funktion One setup brings crystal clear sound even to the back of the train. It is, admittedly, hard to dance, celebrate, or even move, for that matter, but even when it comes to in-place dancing, the Trans Metro Express crowd is doing a good job.
A few people take a break from the action towards the end of the line, enjoying a couple of cool minutes in the Copenhagen night. But there’s more raving to be done. And hey, isn’t this a perfect occasion for crowd surfing? Why, yes it is. (With the unfortunate side effect of some guy ending up in the complete opposite end of the train from where his friends were. Solution? Crowdsurfing your way back). And hey, isn’t Kenton Slash Demon playing a bang-on-the-ceiling worthy set? Sure. (Again, with the unforeseen side effect of a minor torrent of black dust quickly forming around us, a subtle change in skin tone all around quickly following).
As Hvad takes over - frantically jumping around with a little help from a violin and a drumstick - the dancing fades and people seem to notice just how crazy everything is. Can you imagine explaining to your grandchildren that you were riding the Metro back in 2011 to the sound of something that sounded remotely like dubstep with an occasional ”Hvad!” (”What!”, that is) on top? They may of course be up to much cooler things, but for now, Trans Metro Express remains a fun ride.
Photographic high five via Strøm's Flickr (Marcus McNair & Adam Garff). Read more on the Strøm blog
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