Culture Matters #2 – Nightlife

The State of the Arts are delighted to announce the second in our panel event series: ‘Culture Matters – Nightlife’.

For this event, we turn our attention to the corner of the cultural landscape that has been sorely missed for over a year – our clubs, events and festivals, responsible for uniting selectors and sounds with party goers across the North.

Left last to open in the government’s roadmap, there has been a long wait for those who have missed dancefloors, but an even longer one for those who make a living off of running and playing to them. This event looks at how those inside the events world have got through lockdown, what they are expecting from the coming months and what the long term future holds for the industry.

The event will take place on 21st April 2021 @ 5pm.

Tickets for the event are available through our Eventbrite page.

The follow up to our first panel, which focused on the North’s galleries and exhibitions, will feature several figures from across the North’s nightlife culture:

DJ Paulette – a cultural icon of Manchester, Paulette’s DJing career has taken her from the Hacienda to Paris to the biggest festival line ups of 2021. Her influential work stretches beyond DJing though, as her Homebird exhibition at the Lowry in 2018 showed. A regular feature of lockdown initiatives like United We Stream and with residencies with Reform Radio and Worldwide FM, Paulette has kept busy carrying the torch for DJs and her hometown of Manchester throughout the pandemic.

Credit: Charlie J Watts

Harkirit Bopararai – based in York, Harkirit plays a huge role in his city’s music scene, managing The Crescent Community Venue and programming the Basement Jazz Club. As the North-East coordinator for the Music Venues Trust, a not-for-profit that supports grassroots venues across the UK, Harkirit knows first hand what lockdown has been like for our favourite local spots. With experience DJing and promoting his own nights, his knowledge of grassroots Northern music is as extensive as it is imperative.

Source: York Mediale

Gemma Krysko – Gemma plays a vital role in promoting and organising the best events in Manchester. She is founder and director of the We Are Indigo, who’ve worked with clients such as the Warehouse Project and the Night Time Industries Association, and been involved with lockdown initiatives like ‘#WeMakeEvents‘. As part of the team behind Escape to Freight Island, she organises one of the city’s most exciting new venues. Gemma will also be helping with the UK government’s pilot event scheme in Liverpool, which will indicate the safety of club nights as we emerge from the pandemic – few people are better placed to discuss the challenges of lockdown and future of the industry.

Source: weareindigo.co.uk

We are incredibly excited to have such diverse experience represented on this panel. Aside from working tirelessly on their own projects, all our panelists are passionate about contributing to their city’s cultural network and are inspiring ambassadors for the North’s creative industries.

Join us on the 21st April for our new panel event by booking an Eventbrite ticket here.