biography

Sean McLusky

Sean McLusky is to be regarded as a permanent threat to conventionality, a maverick who’s instinct for what works, and what will work is as sharp today as it was when he set out in the late eighties. Sean McLusky has proved himself repeatedly as one of London’s most radical promoters and nascent scene and tastemaker of unique creativity and appeal.

The early 80’s saw Sean McLusky as a professional musician, first as a member of the original indie band Subway Sect and then beat outfit Joboxers, scoring two top ten singles at home and touring a debut album across Europe and USA.

Sean Mclusky cut his teeth as a music promoter in the late eighties with Soul all-nighters and a weekly live night called ‘Club Left’ in Soho London. McLusky soon established himself and his ideas as a remedy for the formulaic scene that dominated the late eighties, and by not pandering to mainstream whims, but by creating new scenes, he has always drawn a diverse and substantial following to all his ruminations.

the brain club

McLusky’s first foray into venue makeovers and take-overs started with the Brain Club in 1988. Finding a forgotten drinking den in Soho, McLusky transformed the interior and re launched it as The Brain. This new club was to be one of the first in the West End to host regular house music nights and fledgling electronic bands like Orbital and Adamski gave some of their early live performances there. McLusky produced two compilation albums out of this venue for his label Brainiak Records – Live At The Brain and Live At The Brain 2 featuring artists like Orbital, Nexus 21 and Mr Monday.

LOVE RANCH

By 1991 McLusky and his ever-widening cast list of like-minded followers had found a new home on Saturday nights at Maximus, in London’s Leicester Square. The now legendary ‘Love Ranch’ club night was created, renowned for its vast popularity and unpredictability with a cast of resident Djs that included, Paul Daley from Leftfield, Darren Emerson from Underworld, Danny Rampling from Shoom and Al Mackenzie from D-Ream. Following Love Ranch, in 1993, McLusky also re-launched and promoted the rec

CLUB UK

McLusky’s prowess and innovative reputation as a venue consultant and promoter led to his appointment as the creative heart of a huge new venue in South London, which he designed and programmed, christening it Club UK, soon successfully challenging the dominance of the well-established Ministry of Sound. The experience of creating a large club venue from scratch, and the bureaucratic challenges associated with a wholly new venue, further added to already well-developed administrative and diplomatic skills.

LEISURE LOUNGE

In 1994 McLusky instigated the conversion of the old Paddocks snooker club in Holborn, which he designed and launched as the Leisure Lounge, ‘a voracious pace-setting and attitude-free venue’ that like so many of his other projects became part of the collective consciousness of night-life London.

The Leisure Lounge featured a mix of dance music club nights like Goldie’s Metalheadz and live music events, plus arts events like RANKINS first major London photography show.

THE COMPLEX

At the same time McLusky began a long-term annual collaboration with the Mean Fiddler organization, programming the dance stage Reading Festival and organizing the festival aftershow events, which, in early 1996, led to him being asked to once again open his bag of tricks and launch their new Islington dance venue, which he named The Complex.

Around the same time as The Complex was seizing a substantial share of the market, McLusky amused himself with a more radical and intimate club night, ‘Fantasy Ashtray’ at Soho’s Madame Jo Jo’s. Called by Time Out ‘…a rockin’, punky, thrash night with live acts’, Fantasy Ashtray was founded on genuine musical variety and featured classic live acts like Jane County and the Electric Chairs along side new live underground talent.

SONIC MOOK EXPERIMENT @ 333 OLD ST

After a six-month stay in New York the pioneering attitude returned when McLusky was the first promoter to discover the 333 club, in what was then the very run down, quiet district called Old Street in Shoreditch, it was there McLusky created his bastard offspring the ‘Sonic Mook Experiment’. Sonic Mook pioneered the practice of multi-room, multi sound, eclecticism, becoming a runaway success, attracting hoards of disaffected youths to this forgotten quarter of London. Unconventional and debauched Sonic Mook Experiment attracted a ‘stunning mix of loyal radical chic cognoscenti’ (Time Out) but with awful/ ‘ironic’ Djs playing power ballads and rock anthems like resident Blind Olly Soft Rock plus an eclectic mix of guests DJ’s and musicians like Mark E Smith (The Fall), Jimmy Pursey (SHAM69), Dee Dee Ramone, Alan Vega (Suicide). People dispensed with the pretensions and conventions of the West End and came to sample the new East End in what has been cryptically described by Loaded magazine as ‘an eclectic Capri of madness – driven by the insane’. Sonic Mook Experiment grew in infamy at the 333 Club in Shoreditch from1997 to1999, becoming the basis on what the area has come to represent and the catalyst for the attitude now found in the area.

THE SCALA

The next major project was two years in the making; the conception, design, conversion, programming and launch of The Scala in Kings Cross London, eventually opening in March 1999 to critical acclaim, this project was the product of ten years of Sean McLusky’s experience. A derelict cinema infamous for its all-night films in the eighties was transformed under McLusky’s guidance into a spectacular music venue hosting club nights and diverse live music programming including shows from Royal Trux, Coldplay, Ronnie Size, Moby, Pavement, Foo Fighters, Johnny Marr, Sigue Sigue Sputnik plus eclectic film events like a Russ Meyer retrospective with guests including Hugh Heffner. Sean also programmed in arts events and exhibitions like shows from Mick Rock & ex Warhol photographer Nat Finkelstiene. As with all of McLusky’s previous projects the Scala was an expression of unconventionality, promising sanctuary to a multitude of Londoners who demanded more from their nightlife.

SONIC MOOK COMPILATIONS ON MUTE 2001 / 2003

In 2001 McLusky produced some of the best eclectic rock and roll and electronica albums for Mute’s Blast First label; 1 Sonic Mook Experiment featuring – Primal Scream, Death in Vegas, Pulp, Clinic, Fat Truckers, Playgroup.

2 ‘Future Rock&Roll’ featuring the new breed of Rock&Roll bands emerging from the UK & US underground, like -Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Liars, The Hives, Whitey, Electralane, Icara Colt, The Beatings and The Parkinsons, and 3 ‘Hot Shit’ featuring – Radio 4, !!! Chk Chk Chk, Chrome Hoof, Ex Models and Erase Errata. Sonic Mook events continue to this day in various venues in London, Barcelona, and Berlin, featuring cutting edge DJ action and new live talent, always underground always riotously entertaining.

FUTURE ROCK & ROLL FESTIVAL @ ICA 2002

McLusky created a four day new bands festival at the ICA to be held during the queens golden jubilee weekend in June 2002, the festival and accompanying compilation album became the catalyst for the emerging new Rock & Roll scene in London, for the first time this scattered collection of bands were brought together in one venue, kick starting the new scene which finally broke the grip of the dance music monopoly in the UK. The festival featured over 20 new bands including The Libertines, 80’s Matchbox B-Line Disaster, The Parkinsons, Liars, The Beatings, Buff Medways, Martini Henry Rifles, McLusky and Earl Brutus. So while the patriotic hordes waved their flags at Liz and her cronies at the palace, next door 500 sweaty kids each day celebrated the birth of their new scene, throwing them selves about to the new breed of Rock & Roll, right by the queens front drive.

RETURN TO NEW YORK

In 2003 McLusky teamed up with the legendary DJ / Producer Arthur Baker to create a series of global events called ‘Return To New York’ its London home was the five-star Great Eastern Hotel and the events featured artists like LCD Soundsystem, Peaches, New Order, Tom Tom Club, Debbie Harry, Phil Okey, Junior Sanches, Erol Alkan and 2 many Djs (Soulwax). They also hosed events at the Miami Winter music Conference with line ups including The Rapture, LCD, Peaches, Milo, Princess Superstar, 2 Many Djs and they have toured the events at major venues and festivals across Europe. ‘Return to New York’ events were designed to bridge the last 20 years of electronic music, unifying the talents of the originators with the new breed of DJ /producers and live acts.

1234 RECORDS

Sean McLusky recently formed a new label 1234 RECORDS. drawing on the wealth of new talent emerging from the new East London underground scene, discovering, developing and managing new artists. To date 1234 Records have released singles and albums from Whitey, Cazals, Negative For Francis, Twisted Charm, The White Sport, Cosmetique, The Bishops, The Objects, Trafalgar and Lowline. This year will see more releases from artistes mentioned, music from new signings and a compilation album of music from the labels catalog.

The notorious ‘1234 Action’ gigs and warehouse parties are eagerly awaited events in the east end, utilizing disused spaces, rehearsal studios and new venues, featuring bands from the 1234 roster plus special guests which have included, The Rakes, Bloc Party, Towers Of London and Death From Above 1979. The 1234 gigs and events including their monthly night at The Old Blue Last double as a fertile source for discovering new bands.

THE1234 SHOREDITCH FESTIVAL

In the summer of 2007 Sean McLusky created THE1234SHOREDITCH a one-day music festival in Shoreditch park London attended by 13,000 people. This music event was the first of it’s kind held in the area and embodied the attitude and culture that has built up in the district over recent years. THE1234 showcased the area’s musical triumphs and innovation, featuring emerging new acts and musical movements alongside groundbreaking artists that have cut their teeth in East London.

THE1234SHOREDITCH 07

Featured: HAR MAR SUPERSTAR with The Strokes drummer FAB MORRETTI, SHY CHILD, THE WHIP, LIGHT SPEED CHAMPION, FLORENCE & THE MACHINE, THE PADINGTONS, MAN LIKE ME, ALI LOVE, DOGS, PEOPLES REVOLUTIONARY CHOIR, SUBLIMINAL GIRL, TWISTED CHARM, BONO MUST DIE, METHODIST CENTRE, PULL IN EMERGENCY, HATCHAM SOCIAL, LION CLUB, GUCCI SOUNDSYSTEM, AUTOKRATZ, WHITEY, JOE & WILL ASK, TRAILER TRASH, THE INFEDELS.

THE1234SHOREDITCH 09

Featured: THE RAKES, PATRICK WOLF, THE WARLOCKS, CHROME HOOF, POLLY SCATTERGOOD, TIM BURGESS (THE CHARLATANS), OX EAGLE LION MAN , POPPY & THE JEZEBELS, CHROME HOOF, S.C.U.M, A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS, CRYSTAL FIGHTERS, ULTERIOR, FACTORY FLOOR, KASMs, BANJO OR FREAKOUT, AN EXPERIMENT ON A BIRD IN THE AIR PUMP, THE RULING CLASS, WILD PALMS, JIM SCLAVUNOS DJ SET (BASD SEEDS/ CRAMPS), SLOPPY SECONDS, KRAZY BALDHEAD (ED BANGER) THE LOVELY JONJO, JOE & WILL ASK?, NUKE EM ALL, KING CHARLES, KOOL KIDS KLUB, MATTHEW !WOWOW!, LUNG ROTTER & SEVEN, DISCO BLOODBATH

THE1234SHOREDITCH will be a regular event on the music calendar to be held
in Shoreditch Park each year.