Southport Weekender - Electronic Music & UK rave Culture
The longest-running UK dance music weekender. Southport Weekender. Thousands of clubbers OVER THE YEARS, have attended and adored this event, including myself, very occasionally with my camera. Midway through the 1990s, soulful house reached its zenith in terms of popularity, and Southport Weekender rose to prominence as the world's leading purveyors of the genre.
The majority of pictures featured are from the 52nd weekender Southport Weekender, held from May 8–10, 2015, at Butlins Resort, Minehead, Somerset, marking the final chapter of the UK's longest-running indoor music festival.
this was a somewhat emotional way to say goodbye to the original team who created the event but like all that came before it was a complete blast!
almost unmatched in the festival calendar
The event began in 1987 in Berwick upon Tweed, moved to Blackpool for three editions, Morecambe for one, and finally settled for years at the Pontins location in Southport.
The genius behind the event is Up North Promoter Alex Lowes.
The more soulful side of house music had already begun to find its spot at pontins southport in the 90's. The event gained notoriety for being the friendliest party in the uk. Twice a year you could party with the best djs and live Pa's in the world.
when the Pontins group was sold the festival was compelled to relocate to Butlins in Minehead in 2009, it kept the Southport Weekender moniker.
Dj & Stage Manager Jonathon
dj kenny dope
India, De La Soul, Teddy Riley, Soul II Soul, Gangstarr, Roxanne Shante, A Tribe Called Quest, and De La Soul. Among those who gave live performances at the event were india Arie, Jazzy Jeff, mos def, The Pharcyde, Jill Scott, Alexander O'Neal, Mr. Fingers, Reese Project, Terry Callier, Angie Stone, Ten City, and Raphael Saadiq.
Theo Parrish, Derrick Carter, Benji B, Francois K, Frankie Knuckles, Tony Humphries, Ron Trent, Masters At Work Mr. Scruff, Gilles Peterson, Kerri Chandler, and DJ Spen were among the regular DJs.
2014's celebration of the event's 50th birthday featured performances by Chaka Khan, Faith Evans, and Brazilian legend Marcos Valle.
The festival gained a reputation for outstanding production values and mind-blowing live performances, and it frequently sold out all available tickets before announcing its lineup.
"It was a stunning production"
When you finally arrived at the throng of dancers in the main room of the Southport Weekender, The Powerhouse, you would look up in shock after keeping your eyes glued to the floor to navigate the sea of empty water bottles and plastic pint glasses that frequently carpeted the quieter, outer reaches of the dancefloor. the production values in terms of the draping and lights was second to none and always so classy. The indoor event's production values had a wow factor unlike any other because they were vividly unique each and every time.
Huge mirror balls, drapes that resembled whale parachutes, video screens, stunning lighting, and lasers illuminated a floor that was teeming with happy, sweat-covered dancers and a faultless audio system that caressed your innermost organs. a striking appearance and striking sound.
"the unique live performances"
Each performer at Southport Weekender seemed to reach their full potential there. Visitors to the event were undoubtedly inspired by the ferocious enthusiasm of the event's very vocal audience, as evidenced by the wildly jubilant Chaka Khan at the 50th anniversary celebration the previous year and Peven Everett truly letting loose at one of his very first UK performances in the early 2000s.
Two performances in particular stood out in recent years: one by Gregory Porter, a rising star, and the other by Marcos Valle, a Brazilian legend who was visibly moved by a raucous crowd that insisted on three encores from him in 2014. The event's renownedly international audience that night included several sizable groups from Portugal, who screamed in Valle's native tongue.
"interacting with new people in a diverse, international setting"
Often, making new friends at a festival or rave is the best part. If every attendee is a white, middle-class student from southern England with an obsession with Radiohead, that experience may be very constrained. That never happened at Southport Weekender.
Numerous crews from London, Birmingham, as well as Manchester, Bristol, and Liverpool attended, giving it the distinction of having the highest proportion of black British attendees of any festival in the UK.
louie vega masters @ work
Fans of that sound traveled great distances to attend as it became synonymous with the soulful side of house music, with the best representation coming from the USA, China, Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, Belgium, and Italy. The fact that a large portion of the music in its Beat Bar had Brazilian or African influences only heightened the atmosphere's global vibe.
However, these relationships sometimes developed into much closer bonds with testimonials about wonderful memories and people explaining how the event inspired their marriage or child's birth. The event is not known as The UK's Friendliest Party for nothing. One or two divorces may have also resulted from it though!
"that distinct, spiritual vibe"
It didn't feel like a typical dance music event because the event's roots were in soul music and it was the UK's best large-scale platform for soulful house. Any raver who had never been to a soul night before was in for a pleasant surprise when they entered the Connoisseur's Corner room for the first time.
This was a place where emotions were shown without inhibition, arms raised, open hands reaching for the lights as the vocals were played.
Soulful house, gospel-infused soul music, and some of the performances that were heard there left a deeply moving impression. Two examples include Sounds of Blackness' performance of "Optimistic" and Jasper Street Company's multiple occasions of leading the crowd to church. It made no difference that the majority of the crowd was probably not religious and was probably quite inebriated; it was a spiritual experience to be swept up in.
"Hedonistic lifestyle"
Even the hardest of rave goers can sometimes feel the effects of a three-night party, but Southport Weekender was typically a happy place, no matter what kind of mood you were in. Over the course of its 28-year existence, the event attracted many devoted followers who attended the majority of the weekenders. For many young, first-time attendees, however, seeing all these people, some of whom might have been their parents' age, getting trolleyed alongside them was frequently startling.
"The education in music"
The music was without a doubt the most important component of Southport Weekender, with its four main dancefloors, guest DJs, and resident DJs serving as a constant source of motivation and knowledge. Professional and amateur DJs from all over the world were part of its audience and its long-running internet forum. Theo Parrish, Kerri Chandler, Rahaan and Mr. Scruff were among the deep-divers who cherished performing there because it allowed them to test the audience by performing from the very limits of their collections or creations.
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