Three hours. That’s how long Dom Dolla was on the decks in the UK’s capital on the first day of August 2026.
The banger-packed set was an insane mix of his original tracks, classic sing- (and dance-) alongs, new music teasers and covers he does like nobody else.
Pair that with a beautiful setting and the weather that played along for once, and you get a recipe for the best Saturday night out. I was there to get my EDM dose, too.
ART 273 OF “AM I EVER GONNA SEE YOUR FACE AGAIN?” A RANDOM COLLECTION OF UNKNOWINGLY OBVIOUS FACTS ABOUT THE AUSTRALIAN MUSIC SCENE
You’ve surely partied to one of his scorchers: “San Frandisco,” “girl$,” or “Pump The Brakes.” You might have come across his music through one of the many collabs with high-profile celebs, like Kid Cudi (“Forever”), Tove Lo (“CAVE”) or Nelly Furtado (“Eat Your Man”). Or maybe you’ve seen him perform at a major music festival near you and couldn’t get the tunes out of your head afterwards.
If you’re an electronic, and especially house music fan, there’s nothing I can add that you wouldn’t already know about Dominic Louis Matheson aka Dom Dolla. But I’ll try to synthesise it (pun well intended) in a few sentences anyway.
Having been making catchy beats for well over a decade, and with more than 1.5 billion streams, the Aussie producer is currently one of the most sought-after DJs globally.
Winner of multiple ARIA Awards and a Grammy nominee, he has performed at iconic international music gatherings, including Coachella (2022) and Lollapalooza (2023). He’s sold out iconic venues like the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado (2023) and the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in his hometown, Melbourne (2023, and tix for this one were gone in five minutes). He’s also set an Aussie attendance record as the first electronic music artist ever to headline a stadium show with 40,000 people, which took place in Sydney in 2026.
This summer, however, he’s on the decks on the coveted Friday night during his second year of residency at Hï Ibiza on the most famous party island in the world. So I admit it – I was a little surprised when his UK appearance was announced. London might have its Ministry of Sound, but open-air house music events are not necessarily a frequent occurrence here.
Especially since the location was pretty unusual, too.
Labyrinth on the Thames is a fairly new series of July/August weekend concerts staged at the Royal Naval College. This historic landmark lies in Greenwich – yep, that same suburb where you can be in the east with one leg and the west with the other one at the same time, standing on both sides of the Prime Meridian.
With the London skyline, the Thames River, and the sun setting behind the stage, it’s a truly stunning location. Last year, I saw Empire of the Sun headline one of the festival’s nights, and it was an unforgettable experience.
Still, I was a bit sceptical about how house music would translate in these particular circumstances. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait long to find out.
By the time Dom Dolla took over the decks, the crowd was more than warmed up for a wild party. The festival started at 2 PM with sets from fellow Aussie DJs, Carla Martinez and Jordan Brando, and the local producer, SG Lewis. The Aussie headliner stepped out on stage at 8 PM on the dot, but because the curfew was set at 11 PM, I was like, “There’s no way he’s gonna go on for three hours.”
Man, was I wrong! Because Dom Dolla more than delivered. “Totally Addicted To Bass” and “Dreamin (feat. Daya)” were followed by his take on Technotronic’s “Pump Up The Jam”, which was followed by obscure remixes of “Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon and Billie Eilish’s “LUNCH”, which were followed by new, unreleased tracks, including a dope one with Skepta and Solomun, “Danger Danger”.
Towards the end, the punters were so hyped, it felt like a Berghain rave, with one punter stating on socials: “Dom having the zoomies for the last 10 mins of his 3-hour set was not what I expected at all, but it was the vibe we all deserved.”
Some other comments from fans pretty much summarise what went down, with the fire emoji dominating the section.
“I hope this set was recorded? It was insane,” one person asked, and I’m sure it’s on behalf of many others. “NGL I ache today having danced my absolute pants off!” claimed another gig-goer, and I can totally relate. Someone even approached the topic from the fitness perspective, sharing: “45k steps all to this unreal set. Still on a high!”.
On that note, the audience was a pretty interesting mix. I spotted a fan wearing the Aussie flag (literally). Another lad looked like he didn’t belong in his goth outfit, but had a blast, nevertheless. I bet the young women dancing next to me were there for a hen-do. And judging by their silver hair, I’m guessing some couples – that were the rowdiest, by the way – remember London’s good old counter-culture times (as in – the previous century).
My fave track “Rhyme Dust” took on a new meaning at the gig, too.
You see, it hasn’t been raining properly in London for approximately two months now. It’s pretty dry everywhere, and the College itself is set on grassy grounds. As a result, I realised that the cloud that formed above the crowd was not haze from the river or artificial stage mist – it was all the dust lifted with the audience stomping their feet to the beat. The state of my runners after the gig was clear proof of that.
During the closing moments, Dom Dolla shared that it was his biggest performance in the UK to date (each Labyrinth on the Thames event has a 10,000 capacity). Plus, the show was sold out for weeks in advance. So no wonder it finished on another high note.
Pretty unexpectedly, fireworks lit up the sky over the Thames while “Saving Up” was played. The Aussie DJ also took in the moment, thanking punters numerous times for coming out and praising their incredible, unwearying response to his set.
But if you think that was the end, think again. It turns out three hours of non-stop bangers were not enough – not for Dom Dolla, not for his crew and definitely not for the dance music lovers. The afterparty continued till dawn at the iconic Camden club, KOKO.
Because – let’s face it. Whether it’s Ibiza, Melbourne or London, in the end, all we really want on a Saturday night is “F*cking Dance.”
All still images by Silly McWiggles
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