By Katie Isham.
On Sunday afternoon, an array of bikes and other assorted wheeled vehicles gathered in Southampton’s Guildhall Square ready to ride the city to a soundtrack of drum and bass (29/3/26). The trouble was, as the crowds gathered, so did the heavy clouds overhead. But we’ll get to that…
Dom Whiting, DJ and all-round good guy, was in town for his first Drum & Bass on the Bike event of 2026. The clock had just ticked into British summertime so obviously the weather was full of swirling gusts and the aforementioned clouds ready to spoil the party. Calm down rain – give us a chance!
So back to Guildhall Square. Dom, his team and his decks were the focal point for hundreds of people milling around ready to set off for the moving rave. Just after 2pm, Dom gave a briefing which most people just cheered periodically to. But then the confetti canons erupted and we were off. Well, in a fashion.
Dom led us off the square to the north, heading past the cenotaph but the crowds were so large it was hard to get cycling at first. Pushing along the pavements and trying not to rear-end the chopper in front. But that’s the chaotic fun of this event. The bike rigs with speakers weaved in and out, blaring bass as we navigated traffic islands and waved at the buses at a standstill.
Steering right up to six dials and then left onto The Avenue, we started to get the momentum going. It was glorious. We moved together as far as the eye could see: bikes, rollerbladers, sitting down bikes, bikes with 8 packs strapped to the back, kids gliding on their balance bikes, kids doing crosswords in their trailers whilst dads answered the clues, octogenarians in felt hats cruising by on electric bikes, walkers being overtaken then catching up with the rhythm of a traffic jam, teens popping wheelies like only those with the enthusiasm of youth can. It was all too brilliant.
And then the rain started.
It was only spitting at first. We had cagoules on; we could handle it. We pedalled past The Cowherds and Boldrewood then turned left down Winchester Road. That was a wonderful freewheeling stage. A man with bubbles started blinding us in his wake but we loved it. The rain was no match for us. We waved at the traffic and the good eggs honked us back. Dom being the goodest of the eggs was on the mic thanking them for their patience and giving shout outs to everyone watching on the livestream.
A banging mix of Voodoo People bounced us down into the second leg of Winchester Road past the roundabouts. And then there was silence.
Maybe the rain was a match.
Dom’s mic still worked and he explained we would all pull into Wickes car park as he attempted the failproof move of turning the decks off and on. A lovely lady tried to help by wiping them down but still there was no sound. We had to move position several times in the car park to avoid clashing with DIY enthusiasts.
We waited and we chatted. I spoke to one man who’d flown in from Dublin that morning. “It was either this or Mass,” he explained. Indeed, this was a mass of sorts. We gathered together, we rode together, we waited together. And when the time came, about half past three on a Sunday afternoon in wet Wickes car park, for Dom to call it, we felt the disappointment together.
But we clapped for the work everyone had put in and to show our appreciation. Dom was obviously frustrated at being thwarted by the British “summertime” but when the rains get in the decks, there’s nothing much to be done. We milled around a bit and many people got photos with Dom. The rain may have broken the circuits but it didn’t break our spirit.
On the ride back through The Common, I got chatting to a raver (his speaker still worked so well I had to shout to be heard) who’d followed Dom to around 22 Drum & Bass on the Bike events. It’s a movement that really captures the imagination and the spirit of adventure. Hopefully Dom’ll be back in Southampton another time to finish what we started.
For more information about Drum & Bass on the Bike events, visit: Dom Whiting
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