WHQ frequenters received an email from the club on the day of the announcement, gaining priority access to the incredibly limited tickets for the set. The club only sold 40 tickets, each at £15, which sold out immediately. If they hadn't grabbed these, an Instagram giveaway was announced on the Wednesday, offering 4 tickets to Newcastle residents who'd commented their favourite memory of the club. No one held back, writing paragraph-long stories of nostalgia for the possibility of hearing hits like 'adore u', 'Victory Lap' and 'Delilah (pull me out of this)' live. The winners were announced at 4pm the day of the event. Attendees experienced a party lasting from 9pm to 1am.
This sudden set created a massive buzz amongst local ravers, with many turning to social media to express disappointment in missing out, or general excitement for Fred and Virji's appearance. Particularly on such a quick turn around between announcement and performance, it stirred turbulent conversation and was set to be a significant gig.
But why? Why did the gig create such a stir amongst the local community? And what was it's significance for Newcastle and it's dance scene?
Fred Again had mentioned in the announcement that World Headquarters was an appropriate venue to play at during Virji's album release, who played some of his first sets at the club whilst he studied at Newcastle University. Considering the fame that Virji has now accumulated, it's clear to see just how important grassroots clubs are for new artists. He's the perfect example of how Newcastle's grassroots clubs significantly can shape the future of dance music.
These venues provide a platform for up-and-coming, local artists to generate and grow a supportive fanbase. With this, they can then make an impact within the dance scene. It's precisely what Worldies provided for Virji, who now has a significant presence at the top of his game.
In 2024, one grassroots venue shut every two weeks.
But the relationship between club and music is symbiotic: local support of dance music also shapes the future of grassroots clubs. Across the country, these venues are a dying breed; experiencing rising costs, stricter regulations, and ongoing consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many operate at a loss, and in 2024, one grassroots venue shut every two weeks. Attending independent venues, and supporting their events keeps them alive! It's so important for the generation of new artists, like Virji, who continue to significantly mould and develop their music scenes.
Fred's mainstream presence at the club also highlights this importance. The DJ has performed at the UK's biggest festivals: in 2024 the DJ played a secret set at Glastonbury, and this year he headlined Reading and Leeds. Fred is truly at the top of the UK dance scene, so the decision to return to a grassroots venue for such an intimate gig was clearly a significant decision. He can sell out an arena, but instead he's consciously shown appreciation for a smaller, independent venue, and thus it's importance within generating new musical talent and economy.
His appearance also celebrates the club's historic presence in Newcastle. The club was founded in 1993, and recently had its 30th anniversary in 2023. It's well-established within the local community, holding legendary status amongst Geordie ravers. For years, they have committed to values of inclusivity and diversity that has truly created a safe space for all. Cobalt Studios and The Lubberfiend are two other significant grassroots venues in Newcastle that also hold these values, helping to create a friendly community within and between these spaces. This gives Newcastle's grassroots clubs in particular a special communal quality, that on another level shapes the social side of local dance music into one that's friendly and positive.
Having big-name artists perform at smaller clubs also garners the latter more general attention, which helps to build this friendly dance community even more. This is not only important for the sociality of the city and dance scene, but becomes a body of support that independent venues can stand upon so that they can survive. Having known Fred played at Worldies, people are more likely to attend their other events, stabilizing their income. This means they can afford to continue providing space for up-and coming DJ's, like Sammy Virji once was, to show off their skills. As new artists are discovered and enjoyed at Newcastle's grassroots venues, the latter most definitely help shape the future of dance music.