[Interview] New queer night 'Babycakes' coming to Sheffield
‘Babycakes’ is a new queer party set to launch at an undisclosed, limited capacity Sheffield location at the end of the month, with DJ Soyboi, Grove and Diessa taking the helm. We had a chat with the minds behind the event — Zoran and Blu — to find out a little more, discussing influences, Sheffield’s queer scene, vital community spaces and what’s in store for the future.
To start off with, who's involved with running Babycakes? Is it a completely fresh project or does it stem from other parts of Sheffield's queer music scene?
Blu - My partner Zoran and I set up Babycakes together but we see it as something that can hopefully grow to be a collective of queer people who are creating nights that queer people in Sheffield want. Currently, we are affiliated with others in the queer scene, including the wonderful GRL, Club Rush, Gut Level etc, and they've all been wonderful in helping us start up.
Zoran - We moved here about 18 months ago, and it's something we've wanted to do since before we moved. There are some great queer people in the scene in Sheffield, but we wanted to bring something a little more, that doesn't take itself too seriously, and is loads of fun whilst catering to the community.
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From the description, genre wise it sounds pretty fun and loose - is there much of a music policy or is it more of an anything-goes approach?
B - Anything goes, if it’s played by a queer person then we're down, we want to celebrate everything in the scene.
Z - The name of the night comes from a party we threw in Bristol where the amazing Ifeoluwa played the "3 of a kind" classic, which I think might actually be the worst garage tune of all time. So as much as anything goes, I kind of hope people are down to get down to shit garage, because I need an excuse to play it haha.
Venue wise, will you be sticking to secret, DIY spaces? And are there any plans for a more permanent home or will you be switching it up with each event?
B - I'd like to keep it open to growing into different spaces, I think it's a flexible/adaptable project that can fit into a wide range of DIY spaces around Sheffield, depending on what our community needs. Alongside Babycakes, we want to run sober social groups and other projects, including a queer sex education project we're currently working on.
Z - Yeah, right now, as long as the first event goes well, I think I'm really happy with the space we're using at the moment. That being said, we're already planning something a little bigger for the new year, in a different venue, and I think it'd be cool to see where it goes. My biggest commitment is to keep the party genuinely affordable to everyone. We're a very unapologetically anti-capitalist group, and in my opinion, there are too many nights who claim to promote 'safe and accessible spaces' whilst charging $$$$ on the door, and that just doesn't sit right to me.
Have you got any nights / labels / projects you'd cite as inspiration for Babycakes?
B - Personally I've been most inspired by organisations such as Gendered Intelligence and Mermaids. I've attended Gendered Intelligence's youth groups and residentials for young transgender people since I was 17 and in the last year have become a volunteer for both GI and Sayit. These safe and celebratory spaces have a huge place in my heart and are vital within the queer community. I just want to share the sense of community that I've experienced.
Z - Donkey Kong says Trans Rights xox
Having previously played at Foodhall for GRL. and the No Bounds closing party, DJ Soyboi’s sets focus on jungle, hardcore and footwork, high energy body music rooted in the dancefloor. Joining them are Bristol MC, DJ & producer Grove, and 1020 & Threads Radio resident Diessa — both are members of electronic duo BAAST. Shauna and Gracie T, from GRL., complete the lineup. Expect UK funky, UKG, dancehall, club, breaks, techno and more.
Tickets are PWYC for queer people and £10 donation for everyone else, capacity is limited. Buy a ticket by sending money to bloocaweiruk@gmail.com or email blu@gloamrecordings.com. With more info to come, check out the event page here.
