Event Review: Tiesto @ Silverworks Island, London
On Sunday 12th July, Silverworks Island was set to host Tiësto, for his long-awaited return to London, also an open-air performance, and with him he would be bringing a line-up featuring Massano, Pegassi, SWIM & Millie Cotton on the Main stage, whilst Evian Christ b2b Tommy Holohan, Faster Horses b2b Paige Tomlinso and THELMA b2b Megra performed on Stage 2.
Silverworks Island is located in East London’s Royal Docks, it is a 400,000 square metres open-air cultural venue with a 20,000 capacity, whilst it’s renown for its industrial backdrop, offering extensive views of the Thames, Canary Wharf, and the Millennium Mills and also located right by London City Airport you can see planes fly overhead, reminiscent of Ushuaia Ibiza vibes too.
Lets be honest, Tijs Michiel Verwest AKA Tiësto needs no introduction, viewed by many as a legend in Dance music, he laid the foundation down for modern electronic dance music, and has always stayed relevant during his career which has been going for 30+ years. His exploits have been nothing short of outstanding, including being the first DJ to sell out a solo stadium event, also the first DJ to perform at the Olympic games, be voted the ‘Greatest DJ of all time’ by Mixmax and also win a Grammy in 2014 too. Elite, A-Pex! When Silverworks Island announced the show, it sold out very quickly, and here is what happened on the day;
Tiësto opened his set with ‘Don’t Lose Your Head’ feat. Olivia Sebastianelli, which incorporates rising synths, uplifting progressive melodies, and tension building to compliment the vocal which captures the emotions of trying to stay grounded and not panic when life feels overwhelming. Soon proceeded was ‘Camelphat & Volkoder – Unique Momenet’, a genre-defying festival weapon with wonky basslines, metallic hi-hats, a tight punchy kick drum, and a hypnotic, computerized vocal hook for set energy, and then some Tiësto mashup action via ‘Anyma & Argy & Son Of Son & Luis Torres vs. Tiësto & Rose Ringed – Voices In My Head vs. Lethal Industry.
Tiësto added emotion into his set through his rumoured unreleased remix of ‘Karen Overton – Your Loving Arms’ which is built on a pulsing progressive bassline, and a slow-burning melodic build-up, and lyrically, the song captures the intense longing, vulnerability, and anxiety of love. Even more emotion proceeded with another classic, an ID remix of ‘Sonique – Feels So Good’ which had been beefed up in the drops, hard-hitting for the mainstages. Tiësto then spun the vibe with the ISOxo Remix of ‘Stereo Love’ which has been transformed into a heavy Trap and Bass weapon in the drops, whilst still retaining the iconic accordion melody.
Tiësto reintroduced more emotion via his remix of ‘Paul Oakenfold – Southern Sun’ featuring Carla Werner’s hypnotic vocals, and uplifting, sun-drenched melodies that define the golden age of Trance. Tiësto also teased more rumoured unreleased music via his take on ‘Three Drives – Greece 2000′, famous for its dreamy synth pads, arpeggiated layers, and uplifting, a proper Balearic summer vibe, energy! Next up was Tiësto’s latest offering; ‘Echo Sax Finale’ with Caleb Arredondo, built on the breathtaking instrumental melody of Caleb Arredondo’s 2024 viral hit “Echo Sax End,” the transforms the Tiësto touch transforms it into an explosive, emotional festival anthem.
More sublime Tiësto mashup through ‘Saltwater & Alphazone vs. Gladys Knight & The Pips – The Legacy vs. The Way We Were / Try To Remember’ hit the decks, the meaningful vocal of ‘Hey, you know, everybody’s talkin’ about the good old days, right, everybody, the good old days, the good old days well, let’s talk about the good old days’ paired with the rolling bassline was 10/10, and then enter more nostalgia; Tiësto’s 2025 remix of ‘Delerium – Silence (feat. Sarah McLachlan)’ revitalized for modern festival stages—is a defining, euphoric Trance masterpiece, which then lead to the hard-hitting Tiësto classic ‘Flight 643’, famous for its driving synth arpeggios and high energy.
‘Domastic – Born Free’ also went down a treat with the crowd, as it merges two dance classics together; Ultra Naté’s ‘Free’ and Underworld’s ‘Born Slippy’ in an epic dance reimagining, Progressive Trance vibes! The crowd all sung along too! If that wasn’t enough, Tiesto then dropped ‘Faithless – Insomnia (Disclosure Remix)’, such an influential dance track, famous for its timeless synth build-up and the iconic vocals of the late, great Maxi Jazz. Tiësto then dropped his exclusive ‘EsDeeKid – 4 Raws (Tiësto Remix)’ [unreleased] which is just a pure high-energy remix of the OG, complimenting the Scouse rap bars. Tiësto has been flexing this remix is his sets at shows inc. EDC, We Belong Here and LIV Miami too.
For the final three from Tiësto, you knew it was going to happen at some point, and boyyy it did not disappoint; ‘Tiësto – Adagio For Strings’, one of, if not the greatest Trance tunes ever, sweeping, melancholic classical strings which drops into a ferocious, hard-hitting trance melody, so much suspense, so much energy, the track in this moment was perfect as the sun went down too! The finale was ‘Ratty – Sunrise (Here I Am) (Tiësto Remix)’, another unreleased bomb which has a proper Jekyll and Hyde vibe, Tiësto’s touch still preserves the raw emotional energy, the entrancing and distinctive vocal whilst transforming the production into a powerful, modernized mainstage weapon built for the perfect finale to a 10/10 DJ set! Lastly was ‘Thank You (Not So Bad)’ by Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike, Tiësto, Dido, and W&W, sampling Dido’s 1998 classic ‘Thank You’ it fuses Dido’s iconic vocal melodies with a driving, high-energy dance beat.
Overall, in conclusion, when Silverworks Island announced the long-awaited return of Tiësto performing in London, the big question on my mind was will this be a ‘Club Life’ set, or a set built on his new ‘Prismatic’ adventure, which Tiësto himself describes as an ‘epic musical journey’ that pays homage to his Trance and Progressive roots which shaped his prestigious career, whilst mixing in progressive house, techno, and modern festival bangers. After experencing the set, it is safe to say this was ‘Prismatic’, it oozed so much nostalgia, energy, intensity, the attachment to his music takes over emotionally, and you get lost in the moment, a proper ‘musical orgasm’, everyone in attendance felt so joyous to see Tiësto throw down a performance oozing vibes from the early days that shaped his career, and if you did not attend this event you really did miss out on such an amazing day! Thank you Silverworks, and more importantly, thank you Tiësto, what an experience!
