Alter Ego @ Optimo, 30 Aug

Some things just can't be helped. On what is arguably one of the most anticipated performances at Optimo this year, something has, unavoidably, gone wrong. As the Sub Club fills to near capacity, Alter Ego take to the stage for an act that few artists can claim to have done, a second invitation to perform live at Optimo. After a well received opening, the Frankfurt duo waste no time in unleashing their 2007 underground hit Why Not? But the revelry is cut short, as stewards usher everyone outside after a false fire alarm rings out. Three times. But once normal service is resumed and some sound problems are dealt with, the remainder of tonight's show goes down well for those who have chosen to stick around until the end. There is no denying that the start-stop manner of tonight's proceedings has taken a great deal of the sparkle off the evening, but the time Alter Ego do spend on stage is something rather special. With a career spanning sixteen years, the pair create a sound that seems effortless but in reality only emerges because they have worked together for so long. Bold techno which has stood the test of time, lesser acts would have allowed tonight's events get the better of them. Alter Ego rise above it.