#9 Deeper Into Outer Space | The Golden Lion

Gig and Louis at Todmorden’s Golden Lion tell us how they have created one of the UK’s most special dancefloors in their remote boozer amid the Pennines…

Alien abductions, rolling hills, working class movements, and now chugging pub raves. All have gone down in Todmorden, a small Yorkshire town running over with off-kilter energies, hi-jinks and tall tales.

The UFO encounter is perhaps one of the strangest incidents to occur there.

Back in the eighties, Todmorden policeman Alan Godfrey was investigating the mysterious death of 50-something miner Zigmund Adamski. Adamski’s body was found sitting atop a pile of coal in a yard without any visible injuries. Then, six months later, Godfrey claims to have had his own outer-body experience when investigating reports of missing cattle. On patrol, he came across a bright light, it suddenly vanished and he found himself a small distance away without any explanation.

As I wrote in my book, ‘Out of Space: How UK Cities Shaped Rave Culture’, I remember visiting as a kid from nearby Rochdale but never had any run-ins with extraterrestrials. Instead, it pissed it down. Constantly. My first forays into going out weren’t spent in Todmorden either. Instead, I’d head south towards the lights, drama and music of Manchester - there was no way I’d dream of going the opposite direction, even further into the wilderness.

These days, that’s not quite the case. In fact, increasing numbers of judicious dancers are heading to the town, not for the secondhand bookshops or delightful walks but because of the Golden Lion boozer. From 2015, the pub has been steered by Gig, Wacka, and Louis Sweet, and the vibe and eclectic musical policy shines through. Andrew Weatherall, Working Men’s Club, Jarvis Cocker, Decius, Richard Norris and many more have all lit up its dancefloor.  

For a recent Disco Pogo piece, I spoke with Gig and Louis alongside a host of other community spaces scattered across the UK. Cobalt Studios and Banana Block you may know from here - there’s also the Marina Fountain in St Leonards, Margate’s Faith in Strangers, the Hare and Hounds in Birmingham alongside many others that are doing wicked things. Check the beautiful map from the mag…

I hosted a show on the recently departed Melodic Distraction championing the spaces in the piece. Listen here and get the latest Disco Pogo edition here.

Also, huge love to the Melodic team. The station shut up shop a month or so ago leaving a fairly substantial hole in Liverpool’s music community. Listen back to their shows and look up the website.

Finally, you can read this interview with Gig and Louis about the Golden Lion below. Many of the comments didn’t make the Disco Pogo piece so here’s the Q&A in all its glory where we talk about the pub’s impact on Todmorden, the Andrew Weatherall 60th Weekender and what the future of the space might look like…

When we first spoke, I remember that you mentioned how when you first took on the Golden Lion, it was a conservative little town without too much happening? Did this lack of cultural activity make you want to start something fresh and give Todmorden something new?

Gig: Yeah, because, downtown in Tod over the bridge people didn't want to come. People didn't want to go out in Todmorden, they went out in Hebden Bridge. 

Louis: Todmorden has historically been radical and experimental, from the Chartists and the punks and some free party style crews but these scenes were hidden away for dedicated followers.

Gig: For me, the first project was the Three Wise Monkeys; this was the first Thai restaurant in Calder Valley and I put on amazing DJs in the basement. I remember standing in the rain with my friend Pang in full Thai costume giving free tasters on the cobbles. I have to keep active, it's the art aspect.

“When I first arrived, Todmorden felt like there were no cultural activities. There were people here from Spain, France, Brazil; they just needed a space.”

The Lion was flooded and empty and I didn’t want it to be wasted. I felt like there were plenty of people waiting to come to Todmorden, and the Lion was big enough to welcome everyone.

Previously, you mentioned your presence in Todmorden has divided opinion in the town among residents? Why is this? And have attitudes changed recently?

Gig: Tod people are really white and black. Labour not Labour, Covid not Covid, always divided by two sides. I think we have changed loads of people and we make people softer with the music. We educate people bit by bit.

Louis: Like any place that changes, people miss some of the old stuff. They might remember the Lion with sports on the TV and roast dinners, and it isn’t that anymore. Some old timers or families who’ve been here for generations might not have much experience or be comfortable with different cultures and people. I think the Lion makes it possible that these old and newer residents can come together to find each other and end up liking each other.

How has Todmorden evolved since you took on the pub? As a place, does it feel different to how it was when you first started?

Gig: The Golden Lion has become more homely, I have turned it into somewhere I can live. The town has flourished, more businesses have opened, we support and welcome other businesses. Todmorden has more diversity, more people who want to be accepted move in, people who have different ideas. Some people have found a utopia here. 

Louis: I’ve been here for five or six years. In that time there have been changes. It seems tough to say gentrification is inevitable but I feel it is happening here in Todmorden. Rents and house prices have increased significantly as people escape the city looking for cheaper space and being closer to nature. Some people have already been pushed out, as it has become too expensive for them. 

“The community is strong here, people have always been resilient. It’s a massive mix of vibrant artists and creatives, hard workers, alongside the established Asian community all held in with the Lancashire and Yorkshire border folk.”

Do you have a mixture of ages in terms of audience?

Louis: Some of the first gigs I remember when starting at the Lion were with teenage bands, I think one gig was with The Short Causeway and Liberal Violence (one of Syd Mynsky’s first bands) they must have been 15, 16, 17. We make sure we keep time and space spare to host the new, young, local artists and performers.

We recently had legendary Northern Soul DJ Ginger Taylor play and he’s just turned 70, but he is far from the oldest performer, folk singer Michael Chapman must have been 80 the last time he played. Gig and Waka make artists feel comfortable and we host them well, so whether they are old or young they will keep on wanting to come here, and their audience will come with them.

But it is also about the place, the people and the environment here. There are a lot of young and new families in Todmorden, it’s a place where people want to put down roots and grow. As a result the new teenagers will always gravitate to the Lion. 

Gig: Yeah we do. We give freedom to all ages, everyone feels included if you are young, a student, or old. We can have a folk band down and a rave upstairs. We make people feel less scared and not strict; people feel comfortable. We break the age barrier by putting different people in the same room or different events on the same day.

There have obviously been many amazing DJs to play at the Lion - from Mr Scruff to Jarvis Cocker via Andy Votel, David Holmes and many more - do you have any particular favourites?

Louis: For me some of the best gigs have been Daddy G playing loads of new, upfront tunes; Rob Smith playing a proper old to new Bristol Sound set, some of the early Smith & Mighty tunes were super heavy; Balraj Samrai from Swing Ting played an amazing eclectic set of modern bass music, Mags from Foot Therapy back-to-back with Lena C was a crazy set of Afro inspired dance music.

When Gig told me that legendary drum and bass (D&B) DJ and producer Calibre was coming as part of a Marcus Intalex Music Foundation (MIMF) event I stopped in my tracks. He is a DJ and D&B lovers’ DJ, that was an awesome session, a Sunday night, with old school D&B heads giving it some on the dancefloor alongside younger people. MIMF also brought DJ Marky, who played an absolutely crazy set with a nod to Mancunican D&B, and Goldie who just blew the roof off with his genuine charm and vibes.

It’s been an honour to have some of the best of the Manchester underground over the last couple of years, Dub Phizix, Strategy, Chunky, Chimpo, Skittles, Rich Reason, ST Files, Nick Sinna. As a twenty-something I saw and played alongside some of these artists, some at the start of their careers. Catching Cooper T recently before they blow felt like a coup for me, again a Sunday night, upstairs, 100 people dancing to two balaclava wearing MCs, making the old beams of the floor bounce!

Gig: The Maypole Mayday 2022 was amazing. It felt like rebirth, things being reborn and people being hopeful. Just as May was arriving at midnight outside by the canal. It was a spiritual thing. With Jarvis Cocker we gave away gifts and crowned the Mayday Queen. 

Simone Butler and Richard Norris was special, it reminded me Richard was the first person to open the doors for many other DJs, it was inspiring and he introduced us to many people. Don Letts was the first person  we targeted to play at the Lion. Greg Wilson was my first booking, it was amazing to have him back recently for his book release.

How was the Andrew Weatherall 60th party weekender?

Louis: The whole place was repainted and decorated with special artwork, banners and paintings; everything renewed. We had an exhibition upstairs in the day, a live gig downstairs early evening, then two rooms of music at night. You could feel the emotion, there was so much joy balancing a few tears and everyone happily together. I know people will remember this as a particular highlight in memory of Andrew and the continuing of A Love From Outer Space.

Gig; A lot of people couldn't go to the wake for Andrew so it felt like we created a space for people who were able to show grief in a creative and positive way. It was important and significant to have his partner and family, team and colleagues all together in one place. We booked 20 artists in the line up, Andy Bell from Oasis, Heidi Lawden from America…

I'm interested to hear about programming - how do you achieve a balance between events and serving different elements of your community?

Gig: We don't have to do anything, we have a good family of promoters. My balance would be I want to hear what I want to hear, artists I like. One of my bookings can be super famous and one can be unknown. We have games club, queer disco parties, UFO clubs, funeral, wedding, pagan meeting, buddhist monks, Thai concerts…

Louis: The Lion is open everyday, something is happening every day, free pool, Wednesday quiz, table top games, band rehearsals, etc.

“Because of the layout and different spaces the Lion can have three or four different events simultaneously. It might get a little messy and things overlap but those unexpected exchanges, at the edges, are where magic happens.”

I come to work ready to welcome everyone who walks in, everyone has got something they can teach you. The dog walkers, the local old boys, the day trippers, cyclists, it’s amazing to be able to share and learn a little about all these people, their lives and experiences.

Is there a secret recipe for holding/hosting a great rave in a pub?

Gig: Don't take a photo of a gurning face, don't publish private pictures. Air con, we saved up to buy it, it was very hot. Lots of free tap water. We create a mood with no tech, no budget, red light, disco ball, just with what we had.

Louis: The Lion is a proper pub and restaurant by day, exactly what you think a small town/country pub would be. DJs start while people are still dining. As the night falls, it transforms into a proper rave. We clear out the tables and make space for the dance floor, the lights go down and the system goes up. 

The sound system is always good, we make sure the DJs and performers feel comfortable with the equipment and space, making sure to invite them out of the booth so they can listen to the speakers and change things if they want. As things warm up, we’ll tweak the EQ and levels, make sure the sound is heavy but not harsh, keeping an eye that the dancers are really moving and feeling it.

Do you feel any affinity with other smaller/intimate venues around the UK? Are there other spots you feel connected with? 

Gig: Ulster Sport Club in Belfast gets me excited everytime I go there. Trades Club is a big inspiration, Islington Mill when it was a club space, a big inspiration, one of our firsts visits was ALFOS. It inspired me to be a similar space with arts, talks, music. It opened your eyes that a music venue can be lots of things, not just the music.

Louis: Unused spaces were a massive inspiration for me, throwing warehouse parties, raves and art events like Manchester Temporary Autonomous Arts, all with a nod to the concept of temporary autonomous zones in abandoned buildings around Manchester city centre, Old Trafford business park. So much energy and resources went into those events, they came and went, ephemeral. Mostly you wouldn't know we’d been there, we tidied up and re-secured the buildings.

The Attic, now the Zombie Shack, above the Thirsty Scholar, in Manchester was where I hosted loads of parties, (Drum Music, Bass Camp, Crash). One of my favourite parties there was Hot Milk, a real reggae and bashment party with students alongside locals from Hulme and Moss Side, real Manchester reggae sound system pioneers; everyone crammed in and dancing. 

Soup Kitchen, which was home to one of my favourite parties, Swing Ting, has been an amazing space for live and dance music. Red light, good sound system, basement is the recipe there. A bit dirty, no frills, no posing, just dancing. Other magic manchester venues were The Roadhouse, so many memories at Friends & Family there, and Music Box with Electric Chair and Mr Scruff was pretty nuts, some mad scenes went on!

These spaces definitely seem to be popular with DJs - and what do you think the appeal is?

Gig: The crowd are real people who are interested in music, they express themselves and send the feedback to the DJs straight.

The DJ feels the reaction, it's an interaction and they can experiment, they don't have to play it safe, they can throw anything on, they don't have to be commercial, they can be themselves.

Louis: Gig and Waka are amazing hosts, they don't really book DJs in the same way as other people might; they invite people personally. The Lion is like a house party but with a massive sound system in a massive 250 year old pub. There’s dinner before and breakfast after, not just a 90 minute set and directions to a crap hotel. 

What are your future plans for the pub? Do you have some special events lined up?

Gig: Everything grows organically, there doesn't have to be a plan. There are still some people who are on my list to book, but at our own pace, we don’t rush into anything. After Covid, things speed up, everything is faster, faster. When it goes fast we go slow, let things come to us.

Louis: A recent event with Manchester institution Hit & Run, with Dankashire Sound System and ChumChon Hifi was a pleasure for me to host. It was a lot of work with a massive lineup but something I wanted to do for a long time. I hope I can do another event with Hit & Run and some other legendary Manchester promoters, fingers crossed.

Visit goldenliontodmorden.co.uk for more. Photos c/o The Golden Lion.