Subterania is right at the heart of Ladbroke Grove's Notting Hill Carnival territory, under the Westway flyover in Acklam Road. Over the last two years Subterania has been the home for Rodigan's Reggae, the regular Wednesday night residency for David Rodigan, one of the UK's best known reggae DJs. During this time Rodigan's Reggae has been the first stopping point for any reggae vocalist, DJ or selector passing through London to showcase their talents, as well as all the established reggae names around London town.

When reggae fans from abroad who are planning to visit London ask this site which reggae venues they should try, I recommend Rodigan's Reggae without hesitation. The venue is modern and spacious and the atmosphere friendly and relaxed, the club sound system is excellent, the crowd are knowledgeable and always up for a good time, and if you're there by 11 pm you can rely on getting in, although after that the club quickly fills up.

On 16th August the night showcased Rodigan's long time spar and man on the mike Papa Face, long time reggae photographer Dave Hendley, and two selectors from the mighty Saxon sound system. The sound stage was dominated by giant projections of Jamaican artists and street scenes from the Seventies, including some classic album covers, often photographed by Dave Hendley himself. For instance, Augustus Pablo blowing his melodica on a rock in the river at Castleton Gardens from the album East Of The River Nile. Doctor Alimantado, way downtown and resplendent in cut off trousers from the cover of Best Dressed Chicken In Town. The great King Tubby at the mixing board. Lastly, fans of Mikey Dread will remember the little Rasta girl standing in a ghetto lane on the cover of Mikey Campbell's African Anthem. A sequence of photos was projected, all taken by Dave Hendley at the same time and place, showing the same little girl and others.

Saxon kicked off with a wide ranging selection, including Junior Kelly's current monster singjay hit If Love So Nice on Prince Buster's Judge Dread rhythm, Johnny Osborne's Truths And Rights, Tony Rebel's Don't Be Afraid and its Everton Blender counterpart, Luciano's Sweep Over My Soul and Capleton's Stand Tall cut, both of which got the lighters up in the air, Morgan Heritage's What We Need Is Love. Also an extended Morgan Heritage sequence including the inevitable Down By The River which ended with a Morgan Heritage Saxon 'special', a version of Live Up with lyrics extolling the virtues of the Saxon sound. Saxon's selector linked the records with heartfelt and resounding condemnations of guns and violence, all loudly applauded by the crowd. This was most timely when just last week eight people were shot by gunmen with automatic weapons outside a South London nightspot. Saxon finished up with Dennis Brown's Revolution.

Dave Hendley started on a revival note with Big Youth's Mosiah Garvey, followed by Burning Spear's Slavery Days and Junior Byles' Chant Down Babylon, moving onto a more contemporary sequence which culminated in a brilliant and previously unheard, by me at least, alternative female vocal cut to Danny Kelly's classic Joyride rhythm.

Papa Face also started on a revival note with the Techniques rocksteady classic You Don't Care before raising the musical temperature with some serious dancehall business like Ward 21's Ganja Smoke, Capleton's Hi Grade, Hunt You and Who Dem, Beenie Man's Heights of Great Men and closing off with a reprise of Tony Rebel's Don't Be Afraid. Papa Face brought out its full anthem status by killing the volume during the chorus leaving the crowd to roar back the words. Believe me, this does not work at every reggae gig but at Subterania every one of the selectors was able to make it happen, a tribute to their selection, their rapport with the crowd, and to the crowd itself, who were up for a good time right from the start.

Then Saxon, in the form of their renowned selector Musclehead came back to lock it off with a hot DJ sequence and a succession of their formidable specials, including one away cuts to Runaround Gal, Joe Hill's Stop your Fussing & Fighting, The African Brothers' Torturing, an unknown eighties Johnny Clarke piece on a Jammys rhythm, and finally a jaw dropping Peter Tosh special to Burial.

And then it was 2 am and everyone poured onto the empty streets which, just nine days later, would become that raging million-strong torrent they call the Notting Hill Carnival.