Radical North: Industrial Coast proves experimental music and culture can flourish beyond England's big cities

Functions is our interview series profiling parties from across the world. This time we meet: Industrial Coast.

A lot has been said in recent years about the lack of access to experimental and underground music in satellite towns in the UK. While culture seems to be monopolised by the metropolises of London and Manchester - with the remaining crumbs divided out between smaller cities such as Liverpool, Birmingham, Glasgow, Belfast, and Newcastle - towns existing on the fringes are often neglected. Curious dance music fans from these places have no option but to undertake lengthy journeys to engage with new music, though many might not go to those lengths at all given its inaccessibility.

There are a few artists, promoters and labels who are trying to change that, though, such as Steve Kirby, who has been bringing an eclectic range of techno, noise and drone specialists to his hometown of Middlesbrough since 2022 for his event series and label, Industrial Coast. Birthed after forgoing the effort to travel all the way to London to see Callahan & Witscher at Cafe OTO, Kirby invested his savings in booking the New York-based noise duo for a gig at Middlesborough's The Auxiliary art space instead.

Each Industrial Coast event features an experimental musician alongside a range of spoken word poetry, film, photography, and other art. Due to a lack of traditional venue spaces in 'Boro, Kirby has hosted events across a selection of DIY venues, exhibition spaces, micro pubs and coffee shops. Mostly centred in Middlesbrough, with the exception of a one-off showcase in Hull, Industrial Coast has brought the likes of Rainy Miller, Wes Baggaley, Quiet Husband, Jake Muir and Samuel Kerridge to small-scale venues in the city, such as the beloved Disgraceland, Pineapple Black, and even a disused B&M store.

"I got into the habit of seeing very little - certainly from a music perspective - outside of London, making three or four trips a year to see artists in the capital," says Kirby. "I was fortunate enough to be able to afford to do that, but not everyone is. So, I wanted to bring artists I wanted to see to my hometown and try to create something special. It was important to me that we do what we do in Middlesbrough, rather than Newcastle, Leeds or further afield. Art shouldn't be the preserve of major cities". We caught up with Steve Kirby to talk about the story, ethos and crowd of Industrial Coast. Check it out below.

What is the main ethos/mission statement behind Industrial Coast?

Industrial Coast started as a hobby in 2018, with no ambition beyond being a small-run cassette label, then we started operating as a distribution service in spring the following year. Our gig promotion kicked off in the Autumn of 2022 after I had packed in my corporate job to focus on the label. There was no plan or mission with the events originally, but we quickly decided we were going to make 'Boro the UK epicentre of experimental sound — may as well go all in. The ethos now is simply: Community. Scenes wither and die, but communities grow stronger. 

Can you tell us about the first-ever Industrial Coast party? How did it go?

Our first show was in October 2022 and featured Callahan & Witscher at The Auxiliary project space in Middlesbrough; they were on a short EU tour, starting at Cafe OTO in London, and I had tickets for the show, but when it got close I couldn't really be arsed to trek down. There was a gap between London and the rest of their tour dates, so I asked if they fancied playing 'Boro - figuring I could cover the cost of the gig by my savings on hotel and train fare. They surprisingly said yes!

We did a multi-genre show, including spoken word and body movement pieces — the night was great! Shortly after, we applied the same thinking to Evicshen, and from that decided we would try and make it more official. We applied for Arts Council funding for a run of shows in 2023, which were successful, and off we went.

You've booked people like Wes Baggaley, Jake Muir, Rainy Miller, Rachel Deakin etc - what goes into curating your line-ups?

I'm not sure I curate! The idea from the start has always been to have a headliner which you could class as "experimental sound". I'm not great at genre definition, but the shows - similarly to the label - cover noise, techno, drone, ambient and more. We back that up with local artists who come from the worlds of sound, film shorts, dance, spoken word. The plan has always been to get people listening to/viewing art they may not normally take an interest in, and that includes myself. The common thread is a simple one: I like everything we put on.

How would you describe the crowd at an Industrial Coast party?

Mixed! And very friendly. It's important to me to be inclusive... properly inclusive, not just some token gestures. The crowd welcomes everyone, the artists all mix with the punters, I'm mooching about at every gig and I'm more than happy to chat to whoever walks through the door. No airs, no graces, just come and enjoy yourself.

Do you have any advice for promoters wanting to get started in creating their own events?

Put on what you believe in. Don't try and second guess what will "sell" or you'll end up on your arse. If you are true to yourself, then whatever happens, at least you got a run of shows you wanted to put on. Be good to everyone - artists, punters, venues, venue staff. Every component of the night is essential to ensure it's an enjoyable experience for all. Be prepared to work hard. Very hard.

We saw that you're helping to fundraise for Disgraceland - how important has the venue been to Industrial Coast?

Disgraceland is a true gem and it's ran by Jane, a bit of an icon in 'Boro for the years of work she has put into promoting the arts, who I'm fortunate enough to consider a good friend. Jane has hosted us for the likes of Wes Baggaley, Rainy Miller, Russell Haswell, Nick Klein and Terror Cell Unit. It's an amazing space and every artist has loved performing there.

What has one of your favourite moments been from an Industrial Coast event? Maybe favourite set...

As I book all the artists, I enjoy everything we put on — it's like a personal wishlist. Evicshen was stunning at the Auxiliary back in '22, it's been a delight to host a bunch of artists related to Downwards (Regis, Samuel Kerridge and Russell Haswell) and bringing the best of US noise to the UK (Deterge, God is War, Terror Cell Unit, Robert Turman and John Wiese) has been pretty special too. But if I was to pick one, it would be Richie Culver, AKA Quiet Husband, doing a spoken word set in the back of a disused B&M store during Storm Daragh in late '24.

What's coming up next for Industrial Coast?

We are waiting on a decision for our Arts Council funding bid for 2026. If successful, that would mean 16 gigs, two exhibitions, four film nights and four mentoring sessions. Plus, we will do other gigs on top of that — we always do. In 2026, we are looking to work with The Auxiliary on something more akin to "club nights" to compliment our usual programme. That space has recently undergone major refurbishment and looks fantastic, so we are aiming to build something pretty special with them.

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Megan Townsend is Mixmag's Deputy Editor, follow on Twitter