Looking Back: Niche Nightclub
Bassline music, everything you want to hear when you’re out and about, the repetitive ‘whomping’ sounds of bassline are like garage music on crack and give you that much needed buzz to dance until the lights come on. This style of music was sometimes called ‘niche’, not merely because of its unique appeal but rather the club that pioneered the genre through the noughties. The curator of this musical adventure, Steve Baxendale, welcomed punters into this backstreet club in Sheffield during 1992 where it gave birth to the bassline music scene. Just like garage or jungle; it had its own ways, its own crowd, and its own sound.
For a long time London and the North has been in argument over which city has had the best musical success, but during the rise of Bassline music, this debate was silenced. The North won hands down as bassline sounds took over the underground scene and even penetrated through to the UK charts. Tunes like T2 featuring Jodie ‘Heartbroken’ and H 'two' O featuring Platnum ‘What's It Gonna Be’ sprung to popularity in the mainstream, with mixed reaction from the underground scene. But its fun was short lived…
Looking through the ‘Niche R.I.P’ Sheffield forum it’s clear to see that people loved and lived for the nightclub. Some of the best posts from 2006 ranged from “the people go for the bassline- they live for the bassline” and “it had the best most powerful atmosphere out of any club I have ever been- anywhere.” The club became a trademark for Sheffield and its thriving music scene. DJ Mez posted in 2007 saying that, “Since the closure of Niche, I've heard from so many people who miss it so, so much. It was their life, they lived for the music, and I was one of them.”
The sad truth of the demise of Niche seems so close to what we see in today’s club scene. In November 2005, the police raided the nightclub at a cost of £600,000 to the tax payer at the time which resulted in not one conviction and the closure of Niche for good. The heavy-handed, candidly named ‘Operation Repatriation’ involved armed response and helicopters and was due to the fact police were increasingly concerned about the clubs relation with ‘guns and drugs’.
Owner Steve Baxendale argued that the police used underhand tactics and said at the time that, “there can be bad crowds in commercial nightclubs, of all races and colours. But the police are concerned about the bassline scene, in particular.”
Similar attacks on the underground music scene have been happening since and up until recently. The most notable example being the Metropolitan police shutting down a Just Jam event at the Barbican due to ‘public safety concerns’, It just happened to be that the line-up boasted leading grime artists which have been an ongoing target for the cancellation of events.
The apparent link to drugs, guns and violence we see putting a stop to underground music is one with little or no evidence and has had detrimental effects on the home grown music scene’s and talent in the UK. It was no surprise that when Niche reopened their doors in 2009, the spirit of the bassline community has dispersed and the club closed again the following year.
The little club associated with creating this unique sound cannot be forgotten and one DJ in particular is keeping the bassline sound alive indeed. DJ Q successfully launched ‘The Bassline Festival’ in February this year, it had over 50 acts and showed that the revival of this genre was well needed. The ‘Bassline Festival’ will have a stage at Sidewinder and Outbreak festival showing that there is still a need and a love for the bassline sound.
