REVIEW: Ministry of Sound Reopens The Box in Style with Pete Tong & Kölsch
In 2026, it's never been harder for underground music to survive and thrive amid a range of social, political and financial pressures. But a recent weekend at Ministry of Sound left little doubt: The Box is back. Reimagined around a floating, multi-layered shell of reflective metal hung from the rafters, it’s a sleek nod to the club’s industrial grit. Following the sort of hefty investment only a club of this legendary stature can promise, it's brought a wave of fresh positivity to the capital's clubbing landscape.
Over the course of two packed nights the London institution made it clear this was not a light cosmetic refresh, but a serious recalibration. The Box emerged sharper, louder and more immersive than ever but without losing the rawness that made it so iconic in the first place.
Friday night set the tone for his new chapter with a warm, groove-led takeover that leaned into serious rhythm rather than ritzy spectacle. Tom Enzy, Moeaike and Joezi worked the rebuilt space patiently with their Afro-influenced and percussive selections rolling crispy from the meaty new six-point KV2 system. The sound was the first thing everyone noticed. It's deeper, cleaner and more physical than before with low ends that wrap around the room . The lowered DJ booth brought artists closer to the floor and heightened connections, while the elevated backstage area glowed behind them. Elsewhere, Loft’s Harmony room balanced things out with r&b and hip hop, keeping the whole club busy from early on.
Saturday was the real stress test. Dance music titans Pete Tong and Kölsch stepped up for a back-to-back that carried the kind of expectation that can crush lesser rooms, but The Box held firm. What unfolded was a set that moved effortlessly between eras and emotions: from Underworld’s seminal Dark & Long stretching time to Orbital’s Halcyon landing with new warmth on the new system via Da Klubb Kings’ It’s Time 2 Get Funky reminding everyone that classics hit hardest when delivered without irony. Kölsch closed solo and leaned into his signature melody and momentum as the crowd refused to thin even as the sun began to stir outside with over 600 still on the dance floor come closing time.
Ministry’s renovation succeeds because it understands its own legacy. The Box now sounds and looks like a future-facing club space, but one that still belongs to the dancers. It is that, more than anything, which is what made the reopening weekend feel like a genuine reset rather than a hollow relaunch.
Check out Ministry of Sound’s full 2026 events calendar here.
