Jayda G and Ruby Savage are headlining our Shoulder To Shoulder house party in Leeds

We asked, you voted, our party planners listened: now we’re gearing up for the dance of a lifetime. We’re bringing Jayda G and Ruby Savage to Leeds to play back-to-back, Shoulder To Shoulder, at a next-level house party. Sign up for guestlist here.

Taking place at The Faversham in Leeds on August 17, the showpiece event marks a climactic celebration for our Shoulder To Shoulder campaign with Monkey Shoulder, the 100% malt whisky made for mixing. A second party is lined up to take place at the Master Shipwright's House in South London on August 24 featuring Norman Jay MBE and Melvo Baptiste.

It’s a challenging time for nightlife, with inflation and the cost of living battering an events industry already reeling from the effects of a gruelling lockdown. Alongside fellow nightlife advocates Monkey Shoulder we decided something needed to change, and the needs of the communities who depend on nightlife for work, play or sanctuary should be at the heart of that movement.

That’s why we asked you, the people, for input to help us rewrite the night. After putting out a series of questions on social media, we gathered essential information on how to support nightlife and throw the best party imaginable.

After an overwhelming response in favour of established DJs doing more to help new talent, we’re pairing leading stars with up-and-coming talents to showcase their skills in a headline slot. With more than 50% picking disco as the genre you’d play if handed the aux at a house party, Jayda G was a no-brainer of a booking. Her high-energy sets are becoming the stuff of dance music legend, while her productions have seen her earn a GRAMMY nomination. When you’re throwing a party and Jayda G is on the decks, you know it’s going to go off.

She’ll be playing with Ruby Savage, a fellow champion of good vibes whose sets make you feel alive, and who deserves all the props coming her way. Together, they’ll be a force. Support sets will come from Leeds local heroes. Michael Upson will play alongside DJ Subaru, founders of the the pumping queer dance party Love Muscle and inclusive party PLEASUREMAXXX respectively, while Cosmic Slop DJs - devotees to partying for a charitable cause - are soundtracking the second room all-night long.

After many of you called for more diversity on line-ups as the one thing you’d do to change nightlife for the better, we’ve kept this front of mind when booking the bills. Another common answer was more support for more grassroots venues and organisations, with a vast majority of people hoping to see more funding for UK nightlife, so we built support for the Music Venue Trust, Night Time Industries Association and Free The Night in the campaign. These organisations support existing infrastructure in the UK and embolden those whose work makes nightlife a place of acceptance and inspiration. Our design competition found a budding creative to get paid and have their work showcased at the event.

Drinks wise, we’ll be leaning into house party classics with a stocked menu of spirits and mixers on offer, and a small selection of tasty cocktails available, made by mixing experts Monkey Shoulder. And since so many of you, naturally, picked dancing as your favourite house party activity, we’ll be focusing our production efforts on the dancefloors. In Leeds, that will be in the kitchen, the room you picked as your favourite. The bedrooms, voted the least important rooms at a house party, will be used as chilling and bar areas.

You don’t want to miss this. Sign up for guestlist here.

Follow Monkey Shoulder on Instagram

Donate to Music Venue Trust, Night Time Industries Association and Free The Night campaign