Spotlight on: Spectrum

06-07-22

Dalston Superstore is thrilled to present the debut of brand new party Spectrum, a night to celebrate and centre queers across all spectrums! Promoter Meshi is on a mission to shine a light on the creativity and talent of neurodiverse artists, and curate a safer nightlife space that caters as much as possible to neurodiverse needs. We caught up with them to chat safeguarding in the club context, celebrating new neuroqueer talent and exciting plans for the debut party!
Hi Meshi! We can’t wait to have Spectrum at Dalston Superstore Can you tell us a bit about yourself and what inspired you to start the party?
I’m currently working to help champion neurodiverse creativity with Hart Club, and I do drag alongside that, performing and DJing and just having fun and being naked. Having worked in nightlife and been in the East London scene for a couple of months now, I’ve yet to really feel fully welcomed or safe for the most part. There seems to be a standard set for queer people that, if you don’t meet, you aren’t welcome. Being autistic, the space for neurodiverse people is non-existent and in my job I’ve seen it work and I wanted to try and bring that to the queer nightlife scene.
Who are some of the artists and collectives who inspire you?
Jané Mackenzie is running an amazing event called E Numbers right now thats centered around making the club space neurodiverse friendly, which I love. Stella Marbles is also making space for alternative queer performers with their event Cookie Jar and they’re just such an incredible fixture in the East London scene.

What sets Spectrum apart from other queer parties in London?
Our focus around safety is what sets us apart. So many events are called safe or safer spaces but they don’t have any real guidelines in place to make a place safe. We’ve asked our DJs to keep their sound reasonable, and our performers not to drink. We will be working closely with the Superstore welfare officers, and all of our team are welfare-informed. I’m also working on getting certified to better protect attendees. At Spectrum we want to stop problems before they happen.
Our line up is also unique – we want new faces!! People who want to learn to DJ or try gogoing for the first time are welcome at Spectrum, its a fun event that encourages people to try things out without fear that a venue or event won’t treat them with respect if something goes wrong.
What does Spectrum sound like?
Nightcore, pop, 300BPM and a sigh of relief when you go to bed at 4am not 4pm the next day.
If you could change one thing about the queer nightlife scene in London, what would it be
The pressure! The pressure to look or to act a certain way. I often feel my autism or my choice to be sober isn’t welcome in the queer nightlife scene or the queer scene in general, i feel as thought those things aren’t welcome in the space. People will always be bitchy and catty, but I wish people would wait till they get home to cause a scene, thats your space, the safe space is for everyone and is no place for that kinda pressure.
Spectrum is endeavouring to set the standard for queer safer spaces – what does proper nightlife safeguarding look like to you?
Listening – thats really it. We stand by a ‘believe everyone’ policy and a no tolerance, no matter how big or small the problem it will be dealt with. We also encourage people to think about what they’re taking and drinking. A lot of the problems in nightlife can come from lax attitudes around intoxication – we won’t stand for belligerent people in our event behaving badly to staff or events goers.
Tell us about some of the talented artists performing on Friday!
We honestly are so lucky to have our lineup! Princess Xixi is MCing after just dropping their new track Leng Loi which is a must listen, she’s reclaiming straight drum and bass vibes and I LIVE for it! Maze who has been helping a lot behind the scenes and will be making their Superstore debut, along with Portsmouth’s one and only Techno Pixie who volunteered to help close down after NYE at Superstore, so it’s about time she got paid for her time! Honestly, every name up there fills my heart with warmth, they all want to help protect the space and the people in it and that’s just iconic in itself.

What piece of advice would you give your young queer self?
Stop drinking caffeine, shave your head and stop worrying so much!
In three words or less, what can we expect at Spectrum?
Looks, stims, safety.
Catch Spectrum this Friday from 9pm-3am at Dalston Superstore!