- Words Darcy Culverhouse
Set to light up Drumsheds this weekend, we sit down with the masterminds behind False Idols, to talk disrupting the music scene.
Calling all joy seekers and dance floor icons, False Idols are here to conjure up some of the hottest events in the industry. But this is not without doing things a bit differently. Sticking up two fingers to the haters, the false prophets and time wasters, False Idols brings Queer people and culture to the forefront, while providing an inclusive haven for all of London’s ravers. Their events are far from your regular club night. They want you to seek deeper connection, to challenge your beliefs and discover liberation on the dance floor, all to the punchy rhythm of a stellar-studded line-up. What’s not to love?
Birthed with the vision of fostering enlightenment on the dance floor, the crux of False Idols is to succumb to the rhythm, rather than to the system. Founded by the team behind renowned club nights, including Broadwick Live, Little Gay Brother and Percolate, False Idols have created a safe space for Queer and LGBTQI+ communities to do so.
This weekend, False Idols finds its home at London’s ‘it’ venue, Drumsheds, for a welcome that is not to be forgotten. Equipped with a stellar line-up, including girl pop powerhouses Sugababes and future-facing pop artist Shygirl, alongside more surprises up their sleeves, the event is set to metamorphose Drumsheds’ industrial space into a vibrant, eclectic arena pulsating with passion and liberation.
To mark their upcoming event, we get to know False Idols’ mission, ambition and beliefs, as we sit down with one of their brainchildren, Clayton Wright to discuss disrupting the music scene.
False Idols is back this weekend! How have preparations for the party been and are you ready to bring everyone to Drumsheds? Are you feeling a sense of nerves or excitement?
Excitement. Always!!! It’s our last show of the year, a fantastic opportunity for queer love and joy before the holidays, and, it’s also the largest event we’ve ever done on our own. It’s a huge achievement for us as queer promoters and shows the industry that queer people deserve exciting spaces like Drumsheds to celebrate our music and culture. It’s going to be major!
Drumsheds is London’s latest super club and it hosts 15,000 people per party. Why do you think the venue is the right fit for False Idols?
Drumsheds is also the same team as Printworks (Broadwick Live), where we did Body Movements in Feb of this year. The Printworks team was amazing to work with because they understand the cultural significance of creating queer events like False Idols, what it means to the community, and what it means for artists to play to this audience. Drumsheds is now one of the biggest clubs in the world, and queer people deserve to take over such a space. It’s also about time queer people showed those other big straight promoters, who are used to putting on parties in spaces like this, that queer music and art is thriving and brimming with creativity. We have loads of surprises up our sleeves. You’re going to gag!
How do you hope False Idols will impact wider clubbing culture and the music industry?
We’re here to disrupt the music industry. Years ago, I really wanted Little Gay Brother to be accepted by the straight music and festival scene, now I’ve completely changed my mind. Now I think “Fuck off, you need us actually”. I’d rather create spaces where queer people felt special, they need to know that they come first. We’re not an afterthought. Queer culture and music is leading the way.
£1 per ticket will be donated to Stonewall Housing and Sistah Space, two charities who play a vital role to LGBTQ+ communities. Can you tell us a bit about what they do and why you wanted to shine a light on them specifically?
Stonewall Housing has been a charity partner of ours for a few years. We’ve already raised money for them via Body Movements, Little Gay Brother and Feel It. We continue to support them because queer homelessness is a thing, I’ve personally experienced it in my life, and Stonewall Housing makes an incredible difference to queer people seeking help and a safe space be themselves.
Sistah Space is an award-winning, community-based, non-profit initiative created to bridge the gap in domestic abuse services for African heritage women and girls. Through their expertise in providing support around domestic & sexual abuse, Sistah Space addresses the specific needs of African & Caribbean heritage survivors of abuse by tackling the intersectionality of racism and gender-based violence.
We’ve chosen these charities because they mean a lot to us personally, and do great work for the community in London. We believe supporting local charities was super important for our first event.
Girl pop powerhouses Sugababes are playing the night. What song are you most excited to hear them play live, and what are some of your fondest memories listening to their music?
If you notice, a lot of the False Idols copy on IG mentions Sugababes lyrics. False Idols’s deeper message is all about; connection, being present, loving each other, harmonious hedonism, questioning what you worship, and finding out what’s important to you. We’ve listened to Sugababes Stronger on repeat recently. The Sugababes are modern-day prophets. The love and wisdom in some of their lyrics is profound as fuck. I’m serious! For example… “Trials and tribulations. I overcome it day by day. Feeling good and almost powerful. A new me, thats what I’m looking for” – I mean. I will take this over religion any day, thank you.
Shygirl is another artist on the line up that we love. For those that maybe don’t know her, what do you think she’ll bring to the night? What do you love about her music so much?
Shygirl is one of the hottest artists in the world right now. She’s incredibly cool. An incredible singer. Has impeccable style. She’s so exciting to watch and can’t wait for whatever she has in store for us all. This is also her last show of the year. She had to cancel some earlier this year, so I know she’s bringing everything for her thousands of fans in the crowd. It’s going to be FIRE!
Elsewhere, there’s a whole host of DJs across the three rooms. Fools Gold, of Z Room, sounds particularly interesting. Who from the underground LGBTQI+ DJ scene should our following be aware of?
All of them. Fools Gold is inspired from the idea of questioning capitalism. It showcases the best LGBTQ+ disrupters and selectors. Jay Jay Revlon is the father of the UK ballroom scene and MikeQ is one of the US fathers. Gideon and Grace Sands are residents of Adonis. Gideon is also the chief of Block 9 at Glasto. Bottom Heavy is Dan Beaumont from Dalston Superstore and Wes Baggaley. And Lexii is homegrown talent, whom we gave their first DJ set, now they are blowing up everywhere. Expect cage-climbing dancers, vogue dancers, scene icon A Man To Pet causing trouble, and a very hot and sexy atmosphere in Fools Gold.
This will be one of the largest scale Queer club nights in England. Why do you think it is important for Queer club nights to have access to these spaces and to host such prominent events?
In the world, actually. Tell me a bigger club? Queer culture is not limited to basement bars and Soho. It’s leading the way and the industry. Queer people do not belong in the shadows. We’re the headliners now. And we deserve spaces that cherish, respect our art, and keep us safe.
You’ve said that False Idols will be a safe space for all in attendance. What initiatives are you bringing to the night to ensure that everyone feels this way?
I’m bringing my knowledge of over 10 years of creating Queer spaces. Robust respect policies, in fact, I have been teaching London’s venue’s about respect and inclusivity for years. When we went to Printworks with Body Movements the changes we made to the venue’s policies were kept, so Drumsheds is no different. The team all know the needs of the community, because many of them are part of the community, and everyone are allies. This event is Queer-run. Staff are vetted and trained to understand the audience to avoid any cultural misunderstanding. Then, I have my first line of defense, the people on the ground looking after Queer people. Queer door staff welcoming the community, and inside Safe Only specialise in Queer welfare making sure everyone enjoys themself. They are there to chat with customers, take feedback and make sure we’re running the best event possible so Queer people feel good.
What’s the False Idols’ mantra? How do you hope people feel when coming out of the party and go back into the real world?
Fuck the fakes, the haters, the false prophets, and time wasters. This is your final chance to challenge your beliefs and find freedom on the dance floor. Here in our temple for the disenchanted we’re open to all that love freely and with passion. This is a space for the oppressed to finally kick off the shackles of their mundane existence and become the beautiful abominations that society doesn’t want them to embrace. Together, we open our minds and hearts and let the joy of music elevate our collective consciousness to a plain of harmonious hedonism. Together we will repair the broken promises of yesterday and step into a brighter tomorrow. Here you can find your power, your people, your freedom in music. It’s all about deeper connection.
What’s next for False Idols? Do you have any preliminary plans for more parties in the future?
We’re back in April at the Drumsheds with a line-up so BIG, it’s making me want to scream it from the roof tops of London. Keep your eyes peeled on our Instagram, and get your tickets quick. You won’t be disappointed.
