Getting to Know: No Way Back
No Way Back is a Leeds and Bristol based night that seeks to host a variety of artists in the UK electronic dance music scene. We wanted to have a chat with them before they're upcoming event at Bar 212 on 14th December, which will feature DJ Luz, Sequential residents and Alex D. Having hosted an impressive selection of artists including Peach, Laksa, Chekov, Volruptus, 96back, Parris, Klaus and more, we wanted to hear more about NWB and how they came to be. We spoke to one of the founding members, Dominic Alston, who gave us an insight into the origins, driving force and future plans of No Way Back.
For those who haven’t heard about you, what’s NWB all about?
No Way Back is a night in Leeds and Bristol ran by myself and four mates that aims to showcase left-field electronic dance music – so UK techno, electro, etc. We like odd music, talented producers, and exciting DJs, but we also don’t like anyone taking themselves too seriously. After all, this is just dance music. I think the ultimate aim is to have some tops off and have everyone sweaty by the end of the night – signs of a good time!
How did it all start?
No Way Back started in Leeds and Bristol aiming to book non-linear and more “UK” techno artists. That premise hasn’t really changed. Originally, we wanted to have art from local artists to accompany the music, and focus a lot on decorations etc, but we soon realised the difficulty and expense of this and fuck looking like an electro-Elrow. We have recently started to move more towards electro and personally this is a direction I want to keep heading in, but there is definitely a wide-range of taste within the group and we will all get a say in who we book.
Where are you originally from, and how does it compare to Leeds as a creative scene?
I am from Milton Keynes, which as you can imagine has absolutely no creative scene at all. It is a cultural baron place and going back is a bit depressing. If you know the right people and places Leeds is a fun scene for electronic music due to the DIY nature of many of the nights and venues. However there are many different parties competing for the same venues, on the same musical grounds, and therefore for the same crowd – and I feel social cliques form a big part of a lot of these nights - but I guess that is true anywhere.
What do you have in stall in the future?
Our plans for the New Year are currently still in the works, however we want to keep focussing on collaborations in order to either book bigger names we couldn’t afford alone or to showcase smaller labels we find interesting.
Be sure to head down to Bar 212 this Friday! Free entry 8pm – 2am
