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Idris Elba at The Source Bar in Maidstone review

Last night, the humble town of Maidstone welcomed a worldwide star and it was great.

Idris Elba, a Golden Globe-winning actor and DJ, was at The Source Bar.

A couple of months ago he was in California playing Coachella alongside Billie Eilish and Ariana Grande but last night he was in Kent's very own back street club.

Idris Elba DJing at The Source Bar in Maidstone

After a day at rock festival Ramblin' Man in Mote Park, I was ready for some heavy electronic beats.

I arrived just as Idris took to the stage shortly after midnight.

The atmosphere was tense with excitement as people waited for the first beat to drop.

Idris delivered everything expected and more - from start to finish his electronic dance set was perfectly mixed with all the right drops and fades.

Tracks included modern club classics such as Look Right Through by Storm Queen and Big Fun by Inner City.

Idris Elba at The Source Bar in Maidstone
Idris Elba at The Source Bar in Maidstone

Despite it being very busy, there wasn't too much pushing and plenty of room to dance.

A bright blue backdrop with Idris's silhouette in front was a pretty striking image.

The screen changed to various vibrant shades throughout the set, with an impressive light show over the crowd complete with dramatic smoke.

Idris kept his clothing simple, sporting a black t-shirt, blue jeans and a red beanie hat as he moved to the music.

Dancing throughout, every so often he would jump up and down, pointing at the crowd.

The stage lighting was pretty impressive at The Source Bar in Maidstone last night
The stage lighting was pretty impressive at The Source Bar in Maidstone last night

He yelled out to the bobbing heads below, 'Maidstone what is going oooooon!', and they happily screamed back.

The best part of his two-hour set for me was a remix of Boasty, the chart-topping track featuring Idris, which has more than 61 million views on YouTube.

I spoke to one girl who had travelled three hours from north London to get there, desperate to see the star up close - when that song came on she went wild.

The club grew to include the whole of Rose Yard for the special event, with a huge stage spanning across the whole alleyway.

Source is well-known for its summer street parties, with its capacity growing by hundreds.

Until Tomorrow was 12-hours-long and also welcomed Joe Baxter and Roger That.

An addition of a VIP stage meant, for a little more money, people could get up even closer to the star from a platform area complete with its own bar.

Renowned as a club for ravers, you don't see many heels and dresses in Source, more tank tops and Reebok trainers but that's what makes it so good.

No one cares about getting a bit messy - people are just there for a good time.

There was more of a mixed crowd last night, as people travelled from far and wide to get a glimpse of Idris on the decks but it seemed everyone still had the same positive mentality.

I'm scared to check my bank balance and I lost a hat but I can now say I've stood 10 feet away from Idris Elba and can confirm he's not only a fantastic actor but also a phenomenal DJ.

So, Source Bar, who's next?

If you have any photos of videos of Idris at The Source Bar tweet @rtuffinKM or send them to rtuffin@thekmgroup.co.uk

Read more: All the latest news from Maidstone

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