We’re back. It’s series 3 and times have already changed since our last episode with the further lift in restrictions, allowing mixing indoors, indoor hospitality, and live entertainment… If you’ve been hiding under a rock (no judgement from us btw) then you might not have heard about the recent government pilot events in Liverpool, and two of these dates were organised by DJ, promoter, producer and record label owner, Yousef. This is why our first episode for series 3 of The Going Out Podcast, had to be with him.  We started the conversation by talking about Yousef’s time growing up in Crosby and his first going out experiences in the area and then into Liverpool (does ‘The G’ mean anything to you?). Our conversations led us to chat about the iconic CREAM night at Nation where Yousef shared tales from the crowd and DJ decks, and then of course, his own night; CIRCUS. We loved this conversation for many reasons, the main one being the conversation being so uplifting and positive after a strange 18 months in the music and events scene. We hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

We take The Going Out Podcast conversation in-house this week as we chat to our very own Ella Green, Skiddle’s Head of Customer Care.  Ella lives and breathes Skiddle and is one of our longest-serving members, so it felt only right that we start off the conversation by checking in on how Ella is and what it’s been like working through the various event cancellations and postponements that 2020 brought with it. Ella shares stories from the past year and explains her outlook on what her role has been like since Boris Johnson’s UK road map was announced in February.  It wouldn’t be The Going Out Podcast without chatting about our guests going out experiences and we knew that Ella wouldn’t disappoint in this department, as Ella refers to herself, she’s a ‘seasoned pro’ at partying by now. We chat about her first night’s outs in Blackpool, working 3 jobs in the night-time economy, festivals, social distanced events and the legendary Skiddle parties.  If you’ve always been intrigued by Skiddle as a company, this is the episode for you.

We welcome UK rave scene legend, Bez, to The Going Out Podcast. We started the conversation by talking about Bez’s first going out experience in his local area of Walkden and jumping between rooms at Pembroke Halls, listening to all genres from disco to northern soul. We chatted about what it was like for Bez going out during Madchester, the first time he got on stage as a Happy Monday and sharing hotel rooms with Guns N’ Roses. Bez lets us know how he’s found the lockdowns spending time with friends and family, the reason behind new projects such as Buzzin with Bez and his latest venture into horseracing called “Bez’s Racing Club”.

For episode 5 of The Going Out Podcast, we welcomed DJ and radio presenter Emerald Rose Lewis. We chatted about Emerald’s first nights out at Oceana, pub lock-ins and her journey from her first Rinse FM show 6 years ago to now. Emerald explained how she got to tour with music powerhouse, M.I.A, and how she’s adapted her ‘Afters’ series across the pandemic. We loved chatting with Emerald and hearing more about her plans for playing at events after lockdown ends, and how she’s feeling about stepping into that very first venue...

This week we welcome Josh White to The Going Out Podcast, one member of the English, electronic DJ and production duo, Hybrid Minds. We chatted about Josh’s first experiences of drum and bass, travelling into London to go to DnB nights at Fabric, and raves in empty fields with friends. Josh speaks of his time studying how other DJs mixed their tunes before he himself turned to the decks, the atmosphere in New Zealand's huge drum and bass scene, his and Matt’s passion for liquid and the up and coming DJs they’re excited about. This episode is filled with some great insight into how they add the incredible lyrics to their DnB songs such as ‘Touch’, the importance of trialling their music out before a crowd and what happens when they book an MC that doesn’t know when to shut up… 

The Going Out Podcast continues this week with Serra Petale, one-quarter of the psychedelic meets Cumbia band, Los Bitchos - think, ‘Sims, Elevator, Caribbean Cruise’ vibes… Originally from Perth, we chatted about Serra’s first going out experiences in Australia - we’re talking 45-degree festivals and life as an Aussie fresher - then we dove into life in her current residence, London Town. We found out Serra’s ideal night (no spoilers here) and what going out in life is like on the road (again, no spoilers).  This episode is filled with so many great stories from touring with Mac Demarco to the formation of the group. We left nothing untouched in this conversation, from musicals to gluten-free beer. We covered it all and one thing is for sure, being in a girl band is everything that we dreamed of.  By the end of the conversation we wanted to adopt Serra as a fellow Mancunian, mainly for her love of the city and respected fangirling nature for YES bar in Manchester, the perfect night you could say, with the music space (aka the PINK room) sandwiched in between two bar floors. What more could you ask for?   

The Going Out Podcast is on a roll with our 2nd episode of series 2, and this week we welcome Defected’s first lady, Sam Divine. An incredible DJ, label owner and radio presenter, Sam Divine chats about growing up in Weston Super Mare going to old school raves, her very first experiences in Ibiza which then led to many seasons working alongside the world’s biggest DJs, and going out in many of London’s now shut-down venues. Sam’s outlook on life is super positive, and she discusses how DJing and the lifestyle that sits alongside the job has contributed towards some of her lowest moments, but also some of her biggest pinch-me moments too.

The Going Out Podcast is back for another series, and who better to kick off series 2 with than Parklife and The Warehouse Project co-creator and Manchester’s Nighttime Economy Advisor, Sacha Lord. In this mega first episode, we chatted about Sacha’s first nights out at the Hacienda, reviving Sankey’s Soap, being neighbours with Johnny Marr, somehow being given Morrissey’s aftershave and that one time someone parked their car inside The Warehouse Project’s previous venue, Store Street. It goes without saying that Covid-19 has impacted events across the UK, together we discussed Sacha’s views on particular government policies over the pandemic, and his plans for Parklife and WHP in 2021...

And just like that, Series 1 of The Going Out Podcast has come to an end. In this short episode, we discuss our favourite moments of of the series, classic WFH events and even a couple of our own going out experiences. We can't wait to return very soon with some more amazing going out stories, and some very cool guests. Thanks to all who's listened so far, stay safe and well and keep those fingers crossed for a safe return to events soon.

For episode 8 of The Going Out Podcast, we continue our conversations with Thom Rylance, lead singer of The Lottery Winners, a British indie band from Leigh, Greater Manchester. We talked to Thom about his experiences growing up in Leigh going to underage music events before he moved onto the proper clubs, listening to Nirvana and The Smiths, and ending his night with a cheesy garlic bread on the way home. We chatted about the release of The Lottery Winners’ 2020 album which was released a mere few days before the first lockdown, what he and the band have done to stay creative over the pandemic (which produced their second album), and we also tested Thom on how Northern he really is... Listen to the final podcast of Series 1 on Apple, Spotify and Youtube now.

For episode 7 of The Going Out Podcast, we continue our conversations with East London born, Birmingham raised rapper Kofi Stone.   We talked to Kofi about his experiences of growing up in Birmingham going out on Broad Street, performing at his first ever open mic gigs, supporting Mac Miller (wow), and partying in Chelsea with Fat Man Scoop & Migos.   He talked to us about the projects since his 2019 album ‘Nobody Cares Till Everybody Does’, staying creative during the pandemic and new collaborations with some more exciting artists coming very soon...

For episode 6, we continue our going out conversations with London based rock/alternative duo, Nova Twins, consisting of vocalist and guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South.   We talk to them about their experiences of growing up in South East London, attending Katy Perry and Beyonce concerts and playing their very first gigs across pubs in the South East  and the London music hub of Camden.    We talked about their recent open letter to the MOBOs in 2020 and what this means to them, their fans and other artists in the genre, and also about touring France in a modest Ford Galaxy to play for thousands of fans... After some huge achievements during the pandemic including a collaboration with Bring Me The Horizon, release of their album Who Are The Girls? and winning a Heavy Music Award for ‘Best UK Breakthrough Band’, it’s clear that we can be expecting much more exciting news and music from the Twins over the coming months....  

Episode 5 gives us the chance to speak to Danielle Moore - DJ & Crazy P front woman, born in Greater Manchester and now living in Birmingham.

For episode 4, we continue our going out conversations with Manchester based Mason Collective, headed by Blair Suarez, Adam Myles and Omar Guedar. The dynamic trio is known for their presence in the underground music scene and their signature high energy explosive DJ sets.  We chatted to the boys about growing up in Sankey’s, what it’s like to throw legendary themed parties, booking MK for their first ever party, amongst many other things. It was also the week that Spotify shared it’s 2020 unwrapped, so we couldn’t let the boys go without digging into their musical guilty pleasures.  2020 may have been a year of disruptions, but that didn’t seem to slow down Mason Collective. The boys told us how they’ve kept busy throughout isolation, with the launch of their own podcast and TV series, and dive into some of their future plans (which may or may not include the launch of a potential fashion label…)  Listen to the podcast on Apple, Spotify and Youtube now.

For episode 3, we continue our going out conversations with Glaswegian DJ and curator La La, the alter-ego of Lauren Andrew. We started the conversation by talking about La La’s first going out experiences, she told us tales about her nights at The Arches, a club she became a regular at from the age of 14. From there, we chatted about her first events as a promoter and as a DJ - leading on to her exciting residencies.  In this conversation, La La gives an honest account about what it’s like to work as a female in the music industry. Speaking openly, La La shared experiences of when people in the music industry overlooked her talent, ignored her presence and refused to believe in her aspirations. Now she’s got the same management as Honey Dijon, and despite facing challenges throughout her career (even someone pulling out the leads from her decks mid-set…), La La spoke to us about manifesting her dream boiler room set, warming up for huge household names at Circoloco and next year’s set at Dalt Vila in Ibiza. 

Drag is much more than what we learn through Ru Paul. Cheddar Gorgeous joins our open conversation about going out experiences and we come to the conclusion that there’s a host of responsibility that comes along with a night out. Cheddar Gorgeous explains, through her own experiences, the importance of community in night life spaces and how the queer community in Birmingham created a trusting space, so that she could be herself and learn from the mentors around her. It allowed us to view clubs in a new light, wish more would follow suit and offer to support the next generation - as a safe and supportive environment sounds ideal for anyone’s first going out experiences.  Through this conversation, we were reminded that the best nights out happen when you’re part of the bigger picture. The club doesn’t take you as an afterthought, you’re not on the sidelines watching the event take place - they put you at the centre of it all, you’re the star, your adventure with your pals is all that matters. We share some of our favourite club experiences that set the bar this high. This nostalgic episode is surely going to make you miss those first night’s out, when you thought you knew everything about the world, but looking back you knew so little compared to now. This episode will also have you itching to get back on those dance floors and never take the opportunity to dance with your friends for granted again.