In the last few years, the nightlife economy has undergone a revolution. Where once nightclub profits rarely fed back into local communities, organisers and venues are now using the club night as a tool for social change, embracing diverse line-ups, inclusivity drives and the idea of the club as safe space. Manchester, a city with a storied clubbing history, has led by example.
Although the city is nowadays best known for commercial successes such as Warehouse Project and Parklife, the DIY scene is simultaneously thriving at the heart of the northern powerhouse. Democratically run collectives are putting on quality electronic nights which prioritise an ethical ethos of community and inclusivity. One such collective is the rapidly growing worker’s co-operative Partisan. Their emphasis is on building a space for DIY, cultural and political events – they currently occupy a former synagogue in central Manchester, space which is “run by the people that work in it, with better levels of pay and better working conditions.” Tom, one of the collective’s founders, explained.