Queer Up North Sound Walk

Hello, and welcome to the North West Sound Archive’s, Queer Up North Sound Walk. Before we begin let me explain a bit about how sound walks on sonic maps work. The audio you are hearing is GPS activated. When you walk into one of the circles on your map a new audio clip begins, it does not end if you walk out of the circle but may be interrupted by walking into a new circle before the last is finished. There are 13 stops on this tour leading you from HOME, through Oxford Road, Sackville Gardens and ending in Canal Street. You may of course walk any way you wish but we have mapped out a rough geographical and thematic route. On your screen you will see a transcript of the track introductions and some interesting photographs from our archives. This is not, not a family walk but there is discussion of some sensitive topics and more colourful language.

This sound walk has been built using interview material documenting the work of the festival Queer Up North. QUN was a ground-breaking LGBTQ+ arts festival which ran in from 1992 – 2009 and promoted gay art and artists. All the clips in today’s sound walk come from interviews with people involved in organising and performing at QUN in 2006-2007. We are starting our tour at HOME, a new arts space in Manchester which builds on the legacy of an important venue for the festival the Library Theatre. In this clip Canadian puppeteer Ronnie Burkett celebrates how the city of Manchester felt like a particularly welcoming space for him to wander. We hope as you explore the queer history of our streets that you feel this too.

On the corner here of Whitworth Street West is situated the former site of the Hacienda Night club. Queer Up North festival borrowed its name from club night Flesh which ran here at factory record’s infamous site. Manchester’ clubbing scene is renounced across the globe for elevating rave culture in 80s and 90s, bringing artists like New Order and Happy Mondays to prominence. Paul Cons who was a promoter for the Hacienda in its heyday reminds us that despite its seemingly straight legacy the hacienda’s early social history was richer and far more diverse. In these two clips he expands on what the queer aspects of “Madchester” looked like and why perhaps they’re not as openly celebrated in popular histories of the cities’ nightlife as they should be.