United By The Groove Launches Accessible Music Event in Manchester
Manchester’s live events venue and creative workspace, The Yard, is set to host a fully accessible rave revamped to welcome and empower people with disabilities in the music scene.
Manchester’s live events venue and creative workspace, The Yard, is set to host a fully accessible rave revamped to welcome and empower people with disabilities in the music scene.
Fronted by United By The Groove, the upcoming inclusive party is designed for people with physical and mental disabilities. Taking place on Saturday, September 20, the event will feature a wide range of accessible accommodations.
These include a ramp for wheelchair access (including the fire exit), braille signage, and a lowered bar equipped with an audio loop. Also in place are accessible toilets and a “sensory chill-out” or “time-out” room stocked with glowsticks, bean bags, pillows, and more. To keep the experience as intimate as possible, the DJ deck will be placed at ground level.
The brains behind this venture is 25-year-old Joe Skinner, a house music enthusiast and wheelchair-bound raver from Padiham, England, who lives with cerebral palsy. Skinner faced numerous apprehensions and challenges leading up to a gig. His decade-long experiences ultimately sparked the idea for this project. Skinner is winged by Lee from Compakt Events, Gabe from Record label XtraTrax, and videographer Charlie Hickling, the good folks at The Yard and a steady crew of supporters, including The Bakery Collective.
True accessibility stretches beyond a refurbished venue setup; it also means making a space for disabled performers onstage. Joe and his team have left no stone unturned in championing that vision. Headlining the card for the evening is DJ Jake Smith, who also has cerebral palsy.
He arrives on the back of a performance at Creamfields festival on the Fatboy Slim Love Stage in August and has previously run a B2B with Idris Elba. Disabled artists also featured on the line-up include DJ/producers Finley Allen, AJ Murphy, and Matty Taylforth.
United by the Grove commences from 4 PM, with all proceeds directed towards Sense, a charity that supports disabled people. Brand takeovers arrive from Compakt Events (EGee and Seth Keellings), XtraTrax (Gabe and Zac), and Bakery Collective (MATT-E, Murray and Buddha).
Speaking with The Lancashire Telegraph, Joe stated, “That’s why we decided to launch United By The Groove, to do something about it for the greater good of disabled music fans, and we’re thrilled to have The Yard working with us to create a fully accessible event – they’ve been superb.”
For more information, follow United by The Groove on Instagram
For music news updates, keep up with TFword on Instagram | Facebook | X
You May Also Like:
Accessible Music Concert Experiences to Know About
