Music Preview: Secret Wars
Article published: Sunday, May 8th 2011
While there may be lots of club nights at the moment bringing both big name and up-and-coming DJs to Manchester only one of them lets you vote on who you get to see, agree a price and then see them in a small intimate venue with great sound. Ben Lear talks to Secret Wars organiser Jim Hall.
Secret Wars seeks a different, more unusual path than student-seeking weeknight parties and huge weekend mega-parties. As well as allowing supporters to vote on who plays the night is profit free. All money goes towards paying for the artists, renting the space and renting sound equipment. As the night is not-for-profit there is less pressure to sell tickets, tickets are limited to around a hundred, meaning the nights feel comfortably intimate while still leaving plenty of space to dance.
The night’s organiser, Jim Hall, says the idea for Secret Wars “came out of doing nights and seeing the problems involved, especially as dubstep has become more widely known. The gigs are getting bigger and bigger due to competition. There’s nothing wrong with large gigs but there should be an alternative because you get a different atmosphere.
“There’s many aspects in and outside the city that make [the city’s club scene] what it is,” he continues. “Overall though dubstep nights aren’t really putting in what they’re taking out. It’s not their duty at all but it’d be nice to see the word scene used as more than a euphemism for ‘market’.
“Across the genres though there’s a great deal going and things are very diverse. I do a weekly listings and as it comes together there’s some ‘wow’ weeks where you wish you could see everything. I don’t know if it’s because of the rise of social networking but people seem increasingly confident about getting on and organising things in and outside the clubs.”
Named after a famous 80s comic series (which forms the basis for the great promo material) Secret Wars has been running since November last year, ‘issue’ 3 will be happening on May 13 at Saki Bar on Wilmslow Road as part of the Future Everything Festival. Renowned Future Bass and House producer and DJ Cosmin TRG will be flying in especially to play.
Secret Wars definitely stands out as one of the most forward thinking nights in Manchester’s bass music scene at the moment, both in terms of artist selection and in helping to create a real, participatory scene around the night.The first issue saw Komanazmuk and Funk Ethics play while the second saw the Soup Kitchen in the Northern Quarter sold out as Shackleton performed one of his unique live sets. The artists are voted for by the Facebook groups, with the price being agreed upon before the event is made public.
“It helps make the whole thing more transparent and involved for the audience and brings a bit of fun back into an area of the genre that can take itself too seriously,” says Jim. The line-ups so far, particuarly Shackleton and Cosmin TRG, represent real leaders in their field – the types of bookings you might not find at more commercially-orientated club nights.
Jim is excited about the future of Secret Wars: “The next dates look really exciting, I’m really looking forward to them. Over time we’ll have a vote on other aspects of the night as well. I’m looking forward to seeing how that turns out.”
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