Memories From The Dancefloor is a brand-new podcast hosted by Derry-born journalist Damian Kerlin. As it takes us under the rope and into the queer chaos, joy, and community inside these incredible spaces, it shines a light on their history. It has launched as part of LGBT History Month.
Throughout the season, Damian will uncover the narrative threads that bind the scenes together – the AIDS epidemic, trans inclusion, political undercurrents, or the music that brought people out of their seats. Using firsthand accounts and on-the-ground reporting, Damian meets the dykes, party boys, drag queens and founders who loved and lived in these spaces – spaces that remain under threat today. The number of LGBTQ+ spaces in London has decreased by over 60 per cent over the past decade. Their walls hold secrets, snippets of gossip, and stories that are at risk of being lost forever. Interviewees include Heaven founder Jeremey Norman, High NRG creator and DJ Ian Levine, London Night Czar and BBC 6 broadcaster Amy Lame, author of Gay Bar Jeremy Atherton and many more.
Listen now to Memories from The Dancefloor – a three-part series uncovering the hidden history of LGBTQ+ nightlife
Damien told QX, “Growing up in Northern Ireland, there were few LGBTQ+ venues. Derry only had one, which was on the edge of town. You had to go looking for it. That was my experience growing up gay -nobody seemed to mind as long as it was out of sight. We are more than who we are attracted to. Our culture, art, and existence are built on reliance on each other and our community. I wanted to celebrate that, and what better place to start than our iconic queer spaces.”
Damian’s first experience of queer joy and protest was at Belfast Pride at age 13. “I remember visiting my aunt in the city and walking onto Castle Street, to be engulfed in gay culture and colour,” he says. “Then there was Pepes, the singular LGBTQ+ venue in Derry, that’s now shut. So, I’d try my luck there at 16 – slip past the bouncers and see this huge celebration of people, different generations of the LGBTQ+ community like I’d never imagined. It made me – like so many others – who I am. “
Memories From The Dancefloor is available to listen to now, wherever you get your podcasts — including Spotify, Apple Podcasts and Google Podcasts.
