“I heard about this one party… there’s just sweat on the wall”
SWEAT - SOPHIE Remix

As the sun sets, Brighton’s bars and basements come alive with renewed energy, offering a more authentic and diversified queer nightlife than the city has seen since before the pandemic. Among the new wave of queer party starters is Sweat: a “queer hyperpop dance party” founded in 2023 by three housemates with a love of experimental music and chaos. Fresh from celebrating their second birthday and second SOPHIE tribute night during Brighton Pride, we’re diving into what it takes to run a grassroots club night in Brighton.

The trio have brought together local fans of hyperpop (whether they were already devoted or stumbled into Sweat by accident and left converted) to party, raise money, and, quite literally, to sweat. Resident DJs PLASTIC and BIGBUSH spin not only hyperpop but other electronic genres such as PC Music, donk, slut pop, bubble-gum bass, trance, eurotrash and so much more whilst Kez captures the chaos in her signature long exposure photography. The night is most often held in the basement of Rossi Bar, where events occur every other month, with the occasional Komedia takeover for special occasions. In the process, they’ve built a culture of collaboration, teaming up with DJs (now close friends) who share their sound and linking with club nights across both Brighton and London.

Arguably, hyperpop has existed for as long as electronic music has existed but prominently, the labelled genre hyperpop can be traced back to the early 2010s, when a group of experimental producers and artists began pushing the boundaries of electronic, pop and dance music. Emerging from the record label PC Music launched by A.G. Cook in 2013, hyperpop is an unapologetic embrace of maximalism, blending a huge range of genres, from metal to EDM to eurotrash and much more to create its often chaotic soundscape. An important non-musical element that is impossible to overlook is the sense of parody within the genre and its online community, given the prominence of memes, 2000s nostalgia and internet culture references as recurring themes throughout the aesthetic surrounding the music.

Given that the genre predominantly exists in the online sphere, there is an absence of an offline, in-person community. With a limited number of events, there is a lack of interaction of fans to enjoy the music together in real time.

Hyperpop and queerness are deeply connected; many hyperpop artists identify as LQBTQ+ and include themes and lyrics that resonate with a range of queer experiences. The genre became a platform for artists to express their identities, experiences and challenges, which fostered a sense of connection within the LGBTQ+ community and provided a sonic backdrop for connection and expression.

Sweat emerged from the collaboration of two queer friends Rachel (she/they) and writer Kez (she/her) who both moved to Brighton in 2021 from opposite ends of rural South of England, Devon and Suffolk, hoping to find our community in the city while pursuing our music degrees.

Becoming best friends and housemates after bonding over our shared love of heavy music and hyperpop, we realised we shared a common sentiment of disappointment with certain aspects of Brighton's queer nightlife. Our vision stemmed from a desire for a space inspired by Gal Pals, which fosters an atmosphere of freedom where individuals don’t feel compelled to dress or perform in a certain way to be “queer enough” in that space. The night’s we were going to just weren’t playing the music we personally wanted to hear, so we just thought, “fuck it, we’ll do it ourselves”.

The team soon expanded to include our housemate/partner, Andrew (he/him). His newfound appreciation for the genre after being introduced to it by Rachel and I meant he progressively took on a more significant role and the duo became a trio. Within this circle, playlists became setlists thriving on each other's discovery and exchanging of music: from the nostalgia of Black Eyed Peas to emerging, niche hyperpop artists such as Neva Demure.

The core principles of Sweat aimed to present an alternative experience. Firstly, to provide inclusivity for those in search of a more authentic and diverse queer night out in Brighton. Secondly, to transform the online genre into a tangible venue with an experimental flair that would create a unique night playing a wide range of hyperpop and its diverse sub-genre counterparts.

The name Sweat was inspired by the song ‘SWEAT - SOPHIE Remix’ featured on SONIKKU’s album Joyful Death. Particularly in reference to the lyric “I heard about this one party, there's just sweat on the wall”. The name also aimed to capture a sense of liberation; a non-judgmental space that encourages unrestrained expression. It signifies a space where inhibition can be shed, where the fear of appearing unconventional is non-existent, where you can dance until you sweat, embracing the raw and unpolished, revelling in the joy of the music you love, with other people that feel exactly the same.

Leading up to our debut in June 2023, every room and surface in the confined space of our small flat was being used as the house began to function as the hub for the variety of activities essential for Sweat’s debut. Every available area found purpose and activity. The table covered in the glittery guts of my trial-and-error decoration endeavours, insisting on hand-making everything from scratch. The sofas transformed into a hub for mini meetings on accounting, ticketing, social media, marketing, and to review each new edition of Andrew’s inspired posters. The floor emerged as the sole remaining space where Rachel and Andrew hosted practice sessions on the decks. In alternating turns, the house thumped with a wide spectrum ranging from the mainstream to the manic.

Projects like Sweat would not be possible without grassroots venues such as Rossi Bar, which provides a smaller space that can be easier to fill for new and emerging events and bands and is free to hire. In today’s live events economy, this is incredibly rare, and it allows grassroots nights to take risks and pioneer new ideas without financial pressure, which is invaluable.

We owe a lot to Rossi. Not only is it our favourite bar when we’re not running Sweat, but it has also become Sweat’s home. You can truly transform that basement space, and it’s perfect for a night that’s just starting out. We love the staff there and have built a rapport and a relationship with the venue that has become part of the experience of attending Sweat. We want to thank them for having us over the past few years.

A typical evening attending Sweat in the Rossi Bar basement is nothing short of a sensory explosion, transforming the intimate sixty capacity venue into a cave of unbridled expression. Stepping into the strobed, sticky and sweaty atmosphere (an unconventional kind of enrichment that somehow feels just right) a vibrant scene unfolds. An eclectic mix of hyperpop, spun by Rachel, Andrew, and a rotating lineup of guest DJs, thumps through the small room, evolving from bubble-gum slut-pop to avant-garde industrial to glitchcore, setting the tone for a night of musical exploration.

Every outfit was a celebration of individuality, reflecting the diversity of expression and queerness alive on the dance floor. What makes these nights truly special, however, is the sense of community and their DIY spirit. Attendees are surrounded by homemade decor: a pink mannequin affectionately named Marcus, another topped with a disco-ball head that drips down its body, and a vintage box TV covered in cat stickers and pom poms. Strangers quickly become friends, united by a shared love of the unconventional and the joy of each other’s company.

Over time, Sweat has also become a way to raise money for important causes, and over the two years of running, almost £1000 has been raised for Gaza (through Medical Aid for Palestinians) and just over £1500 raised for trans mutual aid for people individually as well as for Fivefourfive (a transfem collective fund).

Over the past two years, Sweat has grown from a living room idea into a staple of Brighton’s underground queer nightlife. What began as a space for friends to play the music they love has evolved into a community built on passion, inclusivity and most importantly, partying. Between the pink and glittering mannequins, pounding beats and moving bodies lies something more than a party. It’s a reminder of what can happen when people carve out their own spaces, on their own terms. 

This summer, the team reached several milestones: celebrating our second birthday, Andrew’s first live set of original music for ctrl-alt-del and holding our second SOPHIE tribute night during the 2025 Pride weekend. We caught up to reflect on the journey so far.

What were your reasons for wanting to start a grassroots club night?

Andrew (aka PLASTIC): We started Sweat because we loved dancing to hyperpop in our living room and getting really overexcited about silly, meme-y, and really heavy electronic music. And we tried a few club nights in Brighton and they didn't play as much of the crazy stuff as we hoped. So, we started our own club night just to have an excuse to blast that music really loud and dance to it, and to meet other people who also like the same stuff as us and who have a very open-minded vibe.

I have also been a real nerd about electronic music and have been really into DJing since I was 12. I always wanted to DJ and kind of forgot about it for ages and this was a great opportunity to get me back into it. It was also a massive challenge because hyperpop is really fucking hard to DJ compared to what I was used to.

Rachel (aka Big Bush): I just wanted to hear hyperpop in the club because we'd never really been to an event that played purely that kind of crazy shit that we were into. Personally, for me, I wanted to start DJing and that was a good outlet to just explore and start having fun with doing that. It’s nice to have a little place of queer joy and have a good time away from regular life as well.

Why is Sweat important for the community?

Andrew: I think all small club nights and events are good for the community in general, even if they're really niche or not that polished. We haven't got any third spaces anymore and I know club nights aren't free, but we try to charge a small amount to make it as affordable as possible and no one is turned away for lack of funds.

I want to give credit to our community itself because they had to come out and they are the people who have made it what it is. Any worth that Sweat has is because of the people that have come and how friendly and supportive they’ve been. As the organisers we've made proper friends from it and I think it fostered friendships between attendees as well. It’s easy to forget sometimes that the whole point was just to grow our own friendship group and community. But also, to find a nice, shared space where we can enjoy this really silly music.

Rachel: I love tiny little subcultures and stuff and that’s what we have with Sweat, it's quite niche but we've got this quite a tight knit community of people that we've met through doing it. It's just nice to be part of creating a safe space for people to come and just feel like they can truly be themselves and be comfortable. It’s somewhere people can come and just be as crazy as possible. For example, I can wear certain outfits to Sweat that I wouldn't usually wear out of fear but I don’t feel that as much because it’s Sweat.

Obviously not everyone that comes loves it, but like the people who love it, LOVE IT and are so into it and that just makes it really fun.

Why is fundraising and mutual aid such an important part of Sweat’s ethos?

Andrew: It's a passion project at the end of the day. After playing in bands for years, you kind of learn that you've gotta do this for the passion and basically nothing else. Because unless you're really lucky or have crazy connections, it's not a career, so you have to do it out of passion. I want to do this for the love of it anyway because I don't care about getting money DJing; for me it's like a day at the play park.

That’s why we do the fundraisers because this is all just about doing what we care about. Especially the way the world is right now and this may sound stupid but it makes the music and just having a party feel like it’s going towards something good at the same time. Because we haven't got loads of money as individuals so if we can come together and try and use our time to help raise money for things we care about, that's the dream.

Also being able to try and directly help and give back to the people in our community feels right and it’s a nice circular way to exist as a community: mutually helping each other out.

Rachel: As we know, there's been some pretty fucked up shit going on in the world recently and specifically the two causes we've raised funds for is Palestine and people's gender affirming care fundraisers. I feel like they've been the two most pressing issues on my mind recently which I think resonates with a lot of people in our community. Trans rights are getting removed by the second and there's less of those spaces for people to just go be. So, providing that has become even more important for us. It is just nice to directly support people's fundraisers and for the money to just go straight to the source. That’s why it is particularly nice when we do ones for people from the Brighton community because it feels like something that we can actually see the effects of for the people that are coming. It was never about making money for me and it's the same for all of us involved.

It's important to be using our platform to give back even if it's just a little bit and we've just got to do what we can and just keep pushing for what’s right. All together as a community.

Are there any challenges that come with running a grassroots night?

Andrew: For me personally, the only challenges I have are the nerves I feel before, just because I don't wanna fuck it up and I put pressure on myself over making the posters and it can be difficult just finding time for the little stuff and staying on top of admin and promo and all that. The rest of it is a joy.

Rachel: Stage anxiety is something I struggle with, not just with DJing but sort of the anxiety surrounding the whole event. When we first started it in 2023, the first couple of events we did I was so just too in my head about it, worrying if people would turn up and about my DJing because sometimes I’m not as prepared as I'd like to be but I think now I'm on the other side of it.

I'd still encourage other people to put themselves out there in this way because I think it's a great way to truly grow. Start your own thing and you’ll just learn lots along the way. We've learned so much. My DJing has improved, Andrew’s DJing, the posters and Kez’s photography, we’ve all grown creatively and developed over time and then raised money and made some beautiful friends in the process as well.

Can you list some of your highlights during the time of running Sweat?

Andrew: I love seeing people get super hyped over really stupid tracks and when you actually all pop off for something you’re just like “oh my God” ... it's a very euphoric feeling! I'm always blown away. People doing death drops; the outfits that people turn up in are insane. People turn it out for Sweat and that feels like an honour in itself, they know what's up.

Anytime I've ever gone for a drunk cigarette at Sweat I just end up chatting to someone I've never met before who is always an absolute sweetheart. It’s just that extra bit of hope in my life being able to meet more genuine, sweet people who are not judgemental. It can be hard to find people who have similar interests to you in person, and I feel like social media doesn't even necessarily help you find people that easily.

Rachel: Oh, that's hard. Obviously, I have to say the SOPHIE Tribute nights, the first one with HRT and then like the most recent one we did in August with Girlfag and Pi$$. I think especially that first one we did in 2024 was amazing. Obviously, this year was so fun, but I think just playing the Komedia for the first time; having visuals for the first time; the melding of the two nights just worked really well. It was really successful and that was really satisfying. That was probably the most satisfying project that we've done and that's still my favourite night we’ve done.