Nothing short of a Sheffield clubbing institution, The Tuesday Club marks its 25th birthday this year, making it one of the longest-running dance events in the country.
Founded in 1998 by three friends at the University of Sheffield, this esteemed brand has brought an array of top-tier electronic music acts to its spiritual home, The Foundry at Sheffield Students’ Union.
Over the years, an impressive roster of artists including Annie Mac, Disclosure, Rudimental, Bonobo, DJ Fresh, Jamie XX, Clean Bandit, Chase & Status, Roots Manuva, Sub Focus, Four Tet, Andy C, Flying Lotus, Skream, SBTRKT, Daphni, Rodney P, and AJ Tracey have graced the club’s stage, just to name a handful. Opting for a Tuesday night rave might appear unconventional to some, but during its inception, this was the founders’ only option.
“We embraced the opportunity because Tuesday seemed wide open, and we saw it as a perfect way to passionately promote the music we adore. Surprisingly, although it defied expectations, the mismatched timing struck a chord with people,” explained Tom Schreiber, one of the event’s pioneers.
Against all the odds, the night continued to grow into the internationally recognised brand it is today, making appearances at such far-flung destinations as Snowbombing Festival in Austria and Outlook Festival in Croatia over the years.
The legendary sound ystem Valve, ran by drum & bass pioneers Dillinja & Lemon D, became a regular fixture at the Tuesday Club on weekends. At one point these nights were probably some of the biggest drum & bass events in the north of England, with people travelling from all over the country to attend.
A common thread throughout these events is the prowess of the resident DJ. Andy H, a World DMC finalist and co-founder of First Word Records, joined The Tuesday Club after winning a DJ competition in 1999. Since then, he’s primed the crowd for some of the dance music scene’s most eminent names on some of its grandest stages.
In celebration of TTC hitting a quarter of a century, we took a stroll down memory lane and spoke to Alex O’Brien and Spencer Edwins, key figures in The Tuesday Club’s journey and its continuing development, discuss the event’s evolution and their visions for the future.
How did you both come to get involved with The Tuesday Club, and how has the ride been so far?
AO: I started MCing at Tuesday Club about 15 years ago. I did a few of the midweek raves and some of the Valve Soundsystem events. TTC was such a legendary event! In 2014, I started working at Foundry as the Ents Manager and have been involved ever since. I’m currently doing the bookings for The Tuesday Club and I manage the Foundry.
SE: I was first introduced to The Tuesday Club as a fresher in 2009 and straightaway felt at home with the music and the people. It was around 2010/11 when I first got involved as part of the student promo team and since then I’ve played TTC a number of times as a DJ too. It was exciting to be a part of something I felt so connected with, which led me to build a career in live music. Fast forward to 2021 and since then I’ve been the event manager and promoter of The Tuesday Club and live events at the Foundry. It’s been a wild ride!
TTC has become a staple in Sheffield’s nightlife scene. How do you think the club night has evolved over the past 25 years while maintaining its unique identity?
AO: The music has changed and evolved over the years, but our core values haven’t. We’re here to provide underground music events that span multiple genres on a Tuesday night. We try to provide some fan favourites people love alongside artists we rate, who some might not have heard of yet.
SE: For me, The Tuesday Club has always found the perfect balance of pushing new and exciting sounds in electronic music while staying true to its underground roots, appealing to a wide audience with big names and shining a light on up-and-coming talent. That formula has never changed; we just continually evolve the production with new technology to deliver the best experience possible.
Over the years, you’ve seen the emergence and decline of various music genres. How do you decide on the lineup and musical direction for each event to keep it fresh and appealing to both loyal fans and newcomers?
AO: When you run as many events as us, it’s hard to just stick to one genre. We try to mix it up as much as possible by running multi-genre events and not repeating similar events week after week. When we’re booking, we tend to stick to stuff that has a strong bass influence but also just artists that we love. That seems to work well for us.
SE: Dance music is constantly evolving and, for us, that’s what makes it exciting. As it always has been at The Tuesday Club, we approach each season ensuring that we are representing the best in underground electronic music. It’s not always about the biggest names, it’s about who’s creating music that is exciting and forward thinking. We keep our ears to the ground, our eyes on the scene and go from there.
Looking ahead, what are your aspirations and plans for TTC as it enters its next chapter? How do you envision the club night evolving in the years to come?
AO: The plan is to bring the world’s most exciting dance acts to Sheffield. Same as it’s always been!
SE: At the core, we will always deliver the best in underground electronic music on a Tuesday night. We will evolve by continuing to push forward high levels of production to match the ever-evolving electronic music scene. This year, we are really excited to launch the new TTC 360°, which will bring the DJ to the centre of the dancefloor for an immersive rave experience.
Community and inclusivity are often important aspects of successful club nights. How has TTC fostered a sense of camaraderie and safety among its attendees?
AO: We try to make the events as welcoming and accessible as possible, so newbies aren’t intimated by something they don’t know much about. At Foundry we have done loads of work on inclusivity and accessibility, which you can find throughout our work. The line-ups are carefully curated to make sure there’s a good balance of people that are representative of the UK population. We also offer carer passes for people with accessibility issues, a zero tolerance to harassment policy, and we have a quiet space and highly trained first aid staff. We’re also in the process of buying an electric minibus that will take students home for just £1.50. That should be running from Freshers Week.
Lastly, could you share a teaser or sneak peek of what attendees can expect from the upcoming events and celebrations for the 25th anniversary bash?
AO: We’ve just announced the autumn/winter run of events with Overmono, Shy FX, Yung Singh, Sicaria, Hamdi, Notion, Goddard, Y U QT, Charlie Tee, and a couple of cool surprises that will be announced later. It’s looking like a good year at TTC.
SE: Season one for our 25th year is packed with some huge nights that will each bring something truly one-of-a-kind to our dancefloor. From kicking off the year with the legendary Shy FX, we are inviting some of the most boundary-pushing and on-fire producers and DJs to Foundry. We will be bringing some mind-blowing production and inviting some of the UKs best sound-systems to push these raves to the next level.
