The Going Out Podcast by Skiddle

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.  Listen to the episode on Apple, Spotify and Youtube now.

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.