When the sun sets across Notts and the streets get dark, a different kind of wild beast comes out to play - the party promoter. These feral beings can be found lurking in the darkest, dingiest corners, gathering with their pack around speakers, blasting out bleeps, gurgles and wails until the sun rises once more. Get to know our creatures of the night and find your chosen tribe...
Name: Lukas Wigflex - Wigflex
Breed: Rudeboy techno
Natural habitat: The Brickworks / Any secret place it can get its mitts on including art galleries, car garages, warehouses, wrestling cages. Plus an annual migration through all corners of the city for its festival.
Special skill: Bringing out the best freaks, geeks and everything in between together on the dance floor, creating a community for the late night creatures of Nottingham. Also cooks up the grimiest chicken and waffles in tahn.
Common fact: Was born in Old Trafford.
Catchphrase: When in doubt get the swarpers out.
Battle cry: “Gloop wobble click”
Sounds like: A giblet
Follow the tribe: @lukas_wigflex
Name: Jonjo Butler (feat. Maud Leullier, Nostalgia OG, Rick Lazy, Big Tobes, Just J, Queezy B, Earthkid, Oliver Rees, Banks, Drk Room, Trashstitch420, Motormouf & the rest of the family) - Different Life Collective
Breed: UK Hip Hop / Trip Hop / Trap. Inspired by skate culture
Natural habitat: Murat / Stuck On A Name Studios / Sneinton Market
Special skill: Getting the family singing on them RnB soul vibes. Creating the dankest new media content.
Common fact: Lazy by name, lazy by nature.
Catchphrase: Yo, where is everyone? They shoulda been here like 42 minutes ago.
Battle cry: “ITZ DA DLC”
Sounds like: Boyzone-shoegaze-with-occasional-emotional-distress songs you can shout to.
Follow the tribe: @differentlifecollective
Name: Parisa East - Acoustickle
Breed: Independent jazz / soul / hip hop / RnB / spoken word
Natural habitat: Peggy's Skylight / The Maze / Saltbox Bar / The Bodega. Summertime visits to the Spiegeltent.
Special skill: Spreadin' acoustickle magic with emerging talent, incense, and an Eastern jazz club aesthetic.
Common fact: It decorates every venue it takes over.
Catchphrase Can't always tell when it's been done, but can always tell when it hasn't.
Battle cry: “OooOOweee”
Sounds like: Your new favourite song.
Follow the tribe: @acoustickle_
Name Wrighty, Beane, Mark A and Elmo - Soul Buggin'
Breed: From soulful techno to banging disco
Natural habitat: Lofts / Rave pubs and backrooms, including Moog, Bodega and The Maze.
Special skill: The ability to mix up house, disco, bruk, funk, boogie, techno from around the world and make it soulful.
Common fact: The Soul Buggin’ DJs have lived as long as a Galapagos Tortoise, or something like that.
Catchphrase: Soul Buggin' Loves You.
Battle cry: “Boogie is good for you"
Sounds like: Happiness blasting out of a speaker.
Follow the tribe: @soul_buggin
Name: Will Robinson - I'm Not From London
Breed: Rock / indie / garage rock / punk / hip hop / guitars
Natural habitat: The Angel / The Golden Fleece / Chameleon / Alberts / Sobar / The Canalhouse / Rescue Rooms / The Lion
Special skill: Promoting, showcasing and occasionally releasing new, up and coming bands. Often gig swaps with like-minded groups from other cities.
Common fact: Will is actually from Watford, the furthest south you can go before hitting London. We’ll let him off.
Catchphrase: Better to ask forgiveness than permission.
Battle cry: “No, I haven't got a spare drum kit!”
Sounds like: Possible foreboding chaos.
Follow the tribe: @imnotfromlondon
Name: Marty Toner - bUTTONpUSHER
Genre: Math Rock / Post Rock / Experimental
Natural Habitat: JT Soar / The Chameleon Arts Cafe.
Special Skill: Finding the scene's best upcoming alternative talent and showcasing them on an intimate scale. Doing so since 2008.
Common fact: When not putting on shows, Marty plays in a band called a-tota-so. Falling asleep on car journeys is his weakness.
Catchphrase: If you don’t ask, you don’t get.
Battle cry: “Yeooooooooowwww”
Sounds like: Guitars played backwards and drummers on speed.
Follow the tribe: @buttonpusherdiy
Name: James Busby (pictured) Kathryn Pyer, Sam Dixon, Ryan Haines and Callum Maxwell - Detonate.
Breed: Underground UK Bass music.
Natural habitat: Nomadic. Has put on nights in most venues in the city as well as community halls and an outdoor space or two, including Colwick Park.
Special skill: Outrunning predators and breaking new territory. It's evolved from small club nights to a huge festival over the space of 20 years, without swaying from its foundations.
Common fact: Only planned to do a one-off event at the beginning.
Catchphrase: The biggest risk is not taking any risk.
Battle cry: “Pull it up selecta”
Sounds like: 30hertz in your chest.
Follow the tribe: @detonateuk
Name: Ashe Wright (DJ Greyskull) - DirtyFilthySexy
Breed: Queer / Alternative / LGBTQ+, but not as you know it
Natural habitat: Rough Trade / Alberts / Nottingham Contemporary / The Maze
Special skill: Throwing outrageously themed, underground LGBT+ parties, mixing DJs, live music, drag and performance art. Different to the norm.
Common fact: The resident queens have never repeated a single performance at the events.
Catchphrase: See you on the dancefloor.
Battle cry: “By the power of DJ Greyskull”
Sounds like: A shitshow covered in glitter.
Follow the tribe: @dirtyfilthysexy
Name: Rob, Max, Franny, Andy Riley and Laurence Ritchie (Inland Knights) and Lil' Steve - Smokescreen
Breed: Deep, jackin, funky, tech, dubby, no-nonsense house
Natural habitat: Fields up and down the country, and beyond. Most recently they settled at The Maze and is now securing new territories.
Special skill: Goin' mad fer it since 1992.
Common fact: Ran a party and / or club night every weekend for a year solid, including finding a site, setting up, playing for 24hours, packing down and driving home. Blimeh.
Catchphrase: House music all night (and day) long.
Battle cry: “I hope my back doesn’t give out.”
Sounds like: Bump bump bump, whoop.
Follow the tribe: FB - Smokescreen Soundsystem
We have a favour to ask
LeftLion is Nottingham’s meeting point for information about what’s going on in our city, from the established organisations to the grassroots. We want to keep what we do free to all to access, but increasingly we are relying on revenue from our readers to continue. Can you spare a few quid each month to support us?
