10 UK club nights that support good causes

Clubbing can be a healing experience for the mind, body and soul, immersing audiences in next-level sounds and uplifting atmospheres. And on top of that, many parties are spreading positivity that extends beyond the dancefloor, using their platform to promote worthy political causes and running as not-for-profits that donate raised funds to charity. The perfect combination of fun and productive. It can even soothe your Sunday hangover blues knowing that money you frittered away on the bar wasn’t just wasted on you getting wasted. See the list below for 10 club nights that are worthy of support.

Explosive and experimental club music stars on the bills of London’s New Scenery, which raises funds alongside providing a platform for womxn/non-binary DJs and producers. Toxe, Ziúr, coucou chloe, Mobile Girl, Manara, Shygirl, LOFT are just some of the thrilling artists that have thrown it down at NS, which has supported a number of charities focusing on issues such as domestic violence, women’s mental health and sex workers’ safety.

Sheffield’s new for 2018 charity party Common Ground taps into the P.L.U.R spirit and directs the energy towards supporting the Last Night A DJ Saved My Life foundation, which helps children in crisis across the world. A strong sense of freedom fuels the event’s ethos: there are no set times, line-up announcements and their music policy is “inclusive sounds”. Essentially, anything goes.

Cosmic Slop is famed for having one of the finest soundsystems in the UK, a custom-made beauty that’s revered by the likes of Four Tet, Floating Points and Theo Parrish and makes the diverse spread of jazz, dubstep, disco, grime and beyond sound ultra crisp and weighty. Cosmic Slop has thrown parties in Manchester, London and Leeds, where it’s based. Money made by the party is used as funds for MAP (Music and Arts Production), an innovative charity that helps 11 to 16-year-olds who have been removed from traditional schooling to get BTECs in Creative Media and Art & Design as well as in Maths and English. Cosmic Slop and MAP are currently trying to raise £2.4 million to purchase the Hope House Gallery building that houses the projects, with plans in place to develop it into luxury flats upon the expiration of their lease in 2019. Find out more about MAP here.

Room For Rebellion launched in February 2017 with the goal of fighting for abortion rights and supporting the Repeal the 8th Amendment campaign to legalise abortion in Ireland. Founded by a group of pro-choice Northern Irish and Irish women, the collective throw parties in UK cities London and Belfast as well as Dublin to promote and raise funds for their cause, with previous guests including the likes of Eclair Fifi, anu, Saoirse, Aurora, Shanti Celeste, Peach, Object Blue, Moxie and Violet. Their efforts contributed to a landslide victory (66.4%) in favour of the Repeal the Eighth campaign in Ireland’s abortion referendum on May 25 this year, with the legalisation of the procedure now due to be written into law. The fight isn’t over yet, though. Room For Rebellion remain activists, supporting the #NowForNI campaign to legalise abortion in Northern Ireland and lending their support to other abortion rights campaigns across the world.

Dance For Refuge strives to alleviate the destructive havoc war wreaks on the world. In the nearly three years it’s been operating the party has raised over £20,000 for charities such as Médecins Sans Frontières, War Child UK and Help Refugees, showcasing a wealth of killer DJs in the process. The crisis of refugee displacement in North Africa and Europe has hit a tragic height in recent years, making Dance For Refuge’s work essential. Peach, Lone and Eclair Fifi play DFF’s third birthday party on August 3 at Five Miles.

As mental health is becoming an increasing point of discussion and concern in the music industry and beyond, Heels & Souls set out with the mission to fund help for those who need it. Previous charities the event has supported include human rights and political activism causes, but in 2018 a partnership has been struck with Key Changes, a grassroots charity offering an award-winning programme of music-based recovery services for people experiencing mental health problems. H&S has pledged to try raise £5,000, and is currently £3,606.41 deep into that target, in large part to nights featuring Joe, Esa, Mark Grusane and DJ Okapi. Fittingly, the music aired at Heels & Souls is often uplifting and euphoric. They want you to be happy.

Hosted across Glasgow and Edinburgh’s range of intimate sweatbox venues, including La Cheetah, Cabaret Voltaire and most common home The Berkeley Suite, Mind Yer Self fits in well with Scotland’s raucous party scene, while also keeping a keen focus on safe partying and mental health. Penumbra is Mind Yer Self’s current partner charity, who support close to 1600 at risk adults and young people weekly across Scotland.

Community is at the heart of Brudenell Groove. The Leeds party started simply as an opportunity to showcase local DJs and dance with friends, but when it quickly became an unexpected hit the founders decided to forward all the money made to charity. The likes of Crohn's and Colitis UK, The Fragile X Society, Simon on the Streets, Mind and WaterAid UK have been selected for support by Brudenell Groove, and they’ve also utilised social media to run polls wherein fans of BG can vote for charities they'd like to see the thousands of pounds raised across the parties donated to, allowing everyone to have a say. At the heart of the fundraising efforts, the Groovers’ original aim of throwing vibrant dances still drives the operation. The shindigs often have themes, including a Twin Peaks Halloween bash at which they filled Hifi Club with pine trees, and scenes of jubilation are ever-present on the dancefloor.

Rave & Raise is underpinned by two main principles: raising dancers’ heart rates with blistering drum ‘n’ bass sounds and simultaneously raise money to help the homeless in Sheffield. Its incendiary nights are prime spots to go wild and taps aff in, which is handy because on top of money they take clothes as donations.

Due to celebrate its first birthday in September with a party featuring Flo Dill, Giovanna, Lupini and Tiz, Liverpool’s SisBis has established itself as a go-to party for intimate energy and top drawer soundtracks from women DJs over the past 10 months. Disco, afrobeats and electro form the foundation of the sounds aired, and all proceeds go to MRANG, providing support for asylum seeking and refugee women and babies in the Merseyside area.

Patrick Hinton is Mixmag's Digital Staff Writer, follow him on Twitter