Join The Future is launching a new series of bi-monthly music culture conversations at Strange Brew, Bristol’s most talked about club, live music venue and arts space. The series, which is programmed and hosted by our own Matt Anniss, will feature a mixture of panel discussions, lectures, Q&A sessions, book launches and one-on-one interviews with musicians, producers and authors.

The first event will take place on Tuesday October 5th 2021. Subtitled ‘Chapter 1’, the event will be a panel discussion on ‘the future of nightlife’ in Bristol and beyond. Topics on the agenda include nightlife in the COVID-19 era, the impact of Brexit on nightlife, diversity and equality within the scene (not just race and gender, but also wealth/class), protecting and safeguarding venues in uncertain times, the relationship between nightlife and local authorities, licensing issues and problems caused by gentrification and city-centre residential development.

To discuss all this and more, we’ve assembled the following panel of speakers:

Carly Heath (Night-Time Econony Advisor, Bristol City Council)
A familiar face on Bristol’s music scene for the last 20 years, Carly was appointed as Bristol’s first ever Night-Time Economy Advisor in April 2021. Carly is well qualified for the role, having founded and run the Don’t Panic marketing agency, promoted countless club events over the last two decades and worked for Bristol Beacon.

Laila McKenzie (Co-Author, Lady of The House book; promoter; music industry and club consultant; electronic music and DEI specialist)
A successful music events manager, promoter and club consultant who has been working in the industry since 2002, Laila is best-known as the founder of the Parallel Dimensions and Into Darkness music events businesses, as well as being the co-author of Lady of the House, the first ever book about women in house music. She leads a team of BAME professionals from different socio-economic backgrounds and is a tireless advocate of social justice, diversity and equality within the music industry.

Annie McGann (Founder, Save Bristol Nightlife campaign)
A tireless campaigner and champion of nightlife in our city, Annie is not only the founder of the Save Bristol Nightlife campaign and Facebook group, but also a representative of the Night-Time Industries Association and a member of the Bristol @ Night Board. She is also heavily involved in the Bristol Association of Restaurants, Bars and Independent Establishments.

Manami (Better Days/Worldwide FM)
A rising star of the Bristol club scene, Manami is a DJ, producer, pianist and co-promoter of the Better Days club night. Born in Tokyo and raised in the UK, Manami is renowed for playing and making music inspired by her diverse upbringing and classical training. In addition to her club sets, Manami has also hosted regular shows on Worldwide FM and Noods.

Tickets for the event are available now via Headfirst Bristol and are available on a ‘pay what you can’ basis. This will be a seated event at Strange Brew so we would recommend booking beforehand to secure your space. Click here to head to the event page on Headfirst. The Facebook event page is available here. For more information about Strange Brew, head to their website.