September 5, 2023 |
A free-spirited club-topia is one of many ways to describe multi-faceted music collective He. She. They. (HST). Founded by Steven Braines and Sophia Kearney of music management company The Weird & Wonderful and driven by a desire for unadulterated acceptance, the fashion brand, event series and record label is intent on shaking up a stagnant industry. Pushing boundaries motivates their dance-driven movement, steering them to provide parties that are fresh, inclusive and undeniably fun.
As the name suggests, there is a particular focus on creating safe spaces for both binary and non-binary party-goers, with the tagline “a place without prejudice for people to be people” as a guiding strobe light. Setting the stage with this all-welcome mantra has allowed the collective to develop line-ups that are not just cloaked with a guise of diversity, but strictly adhere to a talent-first structure, embracing the foundational ethos of house and techno. Minority talents aren’t just thrown in to sell tickets, but are given a proper platform to showcase their work. In turn, these party providers are creating experiences that are genuinely authentic, conveying the message that no matter your background, race, age or sexuality, club culture is for everyone.
With an array of upcoming DJs such as Wax Wings and Maze&Masters often gracing its stage, as well as heavy hitters like Honey Dijon and Jossy Mitsu, HST is proving that safe doesn’t mean stale. Since launching in 2019, their anything-goes policy has led to them taking over renowned clubs in London, Berlin, Ibiza and Paris, with an incoming takeover at Leeds’ Mint Festival this September. Ensuring they don’t stick to specific spaces, the founding pair have big dreams of orchestrating a positive industry shift, with Braines noting, “There’s no point doing a diverse and inclusive night in an echo chamber where it’s already diverse and inclusive.” It’s clear that, despite a few stellar years already under the belt, this is only the beginning.
The idea for HST was first born from an introspection on Braines and Kearney’s own friendship group. “Our friendship group is just very diverse, and not by design…if you judge people on being people, [you find nice people] naturally scattered across all groups,” Braines remarks. After experiencing a few cases of not being able to find clubs that were equally accepting of all of their friends, the idea for a truly all-inclusive club night was born.
With both founders being pretty well-versed in the industry already, the foundations for the project were fairly solid. Braines’ dance music journey started at the ripe old age of 16 when Kiss FM was advertising for someone to run a party for them in Sunderland. Endowed with an unbridled, youth-driven confidence, Braines reflects, “I definitely earned my stripes”, speaking of playing Judo with the bouncers to earn their respect. “It was quite like a weird version of Karate Kid, where Karate Kid hadn’t quite realised he was gay yet,” he chuckles. That experience sparked his hunger for club culture and he went on to run his own club night in Newcastle after being headhunted by Ministry of Sound. After graduating, he moved down to London, got involved with artists like Maya Jane Coles – whom he has managed for the past 15 years – hit the ground running and hasn’t stopped.
The seed for Kearney’s career was first planted when she visited Glastonbury as a teen. Speaking to Resident Advisor in 2019, she noted that after that experience, she went home, changed all of her university options to Music Management and hasn’t looked back since. Since then, she went from strength to strength, first working for global entertainment agency William Morris Endeavour before moving to ATM Artists and finally founding The Weird & The Wonderful with Braines in 2013. Although they then embarked on a pretty successful run, Braines noted a lot of what they experienced were “hollow victories” because they “weren’t changing anything”. Pushed by a desire to institute tangible change, HST was brought into existence.
Due to the centrality of their own diverse friendships in developing HST, intersectionality informs every aspect of Braines’ and Kearney’s process. One of the most essential for HST is the – oftentimes overlooked – line-up. “If you just book on talent purely, the diversity and inclusion part is really easy,” says Braines. Noting that although big names are useful for selling tickets – polymaths such as Kerri Chandler and Marcel Dettmann have previously headlined HST events – Braines highlights that every artist on their line-ups “stands up as an amazing talent in their own right”. The pair also try to avoid repeating performers where possible, meaning their overall roster of featured DJs stays balanced. The aim – despite having a cognisance for a blended line-up – is that, as Braines comments, “not one person could point to anyone on [a HST line-up] and say they aren’t a fucking class DJ.” This persistence has meant that HST has not only become a beacon for inclusivity, but also musical excellence. Each event encourages both an exploration of communities outside of your own as well as celebrating the rich tapestry of electronic music. It’s the best of both worlds.
The values of acceptance and inclusivity at the heart of HST aren’t just commendable, they’re a part of cultural history. Braines has been distinctly influenced by the Club Kids – a group of dance club personalities popularised in New York in the 1980s – meaning icons of queer culture such as Amanda Lepore have appeared at a variety of HST events. Going to a night hosted by HST means being catapulted onto a cultural voyage exploring all the odd, outlandish and off-the-wall aspects of club culture. For example, Braines cites Torture Garden – a London-based fetish club – as a source of inspiration, noting that their awareness of the sexual activity at their club nights lead to them postering strict safety rules around their events. Along a similar vein, go to a HST night and you will be greeted with posters that overtly state homophobia, transphobia, racism, ableism, body shaming, misogyny and non-consensual touching are not welcome. Braines also notes Pussy Palace – a nightlife platform celebrating female, queer and non-binary people – as a consistent source of inspiration. The celebration of this history, alongside the contemporary influence of the subcultures championed by HST, is truly a testament to the power of creative expression and its ability to shape cultural and social landscapes.
Dressing how you want – if you want to wear anything at all – is firmly rooted in the history of HST, after originally launching as a fashion brand that would also put on parties. According to Braines, they “don’t want to police what people wear” whether that be head-to-toe fetish gear or jeans and a baggy tee. “Whatever their interpretation of weird and wonderful is” is what they want people to rock up in. This uncompromising openness is something Braines and Kearney appreciate might be intimidating, but it’s all about giving people options. Calling themselves a “brave space” instead of a safe space shows visitors that although there will be people there who are different to them, the vast array allows people at all stages of their identity journey to have a good time. The beauty of HST is that it doesn’t push anything on you. If you want to wear something daring, be their guest, but if not, an equally enjoyable night is still waiting for you past the ticket check. As Braines aptly puts it, it’s all about “equality in the space” – not one type of person has all the power.
Next up on HST’s ever-growing roster of all-inclusive events is their incoming takeover at Leeds’ Mint Festival. Having done a prior event with the Mint team, Braines highlights that as well as being “so much fun”, they could see the tangible impact of doing a regional event, where that diversity-driven echo chamber is much less present. After receiving a message from First Friday – a Leeds-based group for the trans and non-binary community – saying how safe and included their members felt when attending, Braines notes how “special” those types of events are. Keen to do another party in collaboration with Mint, the upcoming project took shape. Punters can expect the best examples of playful subversion – scantily-clad dancers and all – whilst taking to the dancefloor for the sonic selections of Jayda G, Chaos In The CBD, Emily Nash and “the world’s messiest drag queen”, Braines’ own persona Sandra Spitz. Not one to miss, the event will be taking place on both September 16 and 17.
Ultimately, organisations like HST play a pivotal role in shaping both music culture as well as broader societal values. The presence of individuals like Braines and Kearney, who champion and provide a platform for people regardless of their appearance or background, is indispensable for progress. Experiences otherwise become repetitive and stagnant. Learning from others and growing because of it – whether that be creatively or personally – is what injects life with excitement and unpredictability, benefitting everyone in the process. With that in mind, you’d be a fool not to get yourself to one of their parties soon, with tickets for Mint Festival readily available here. And remember, HST welcomes all forms of creative expression – latex included.
Photography courtesy of He.She.They.
