OB SOUNDS: Drum n bass for young people in Hastings

Hastings Commons are pleased to announce OB Sounds – a Drum and Bass night for those aged 14-17 at the newly refurbished Observer Building on August 17 2023. OB SOUNDS is the first in a planned series of events for an age range that sometimes gets forgotten about in the entertainment industry.

After discussions with local young people, Sidney Ewing, Youth Programme Manager at Hastings Commons, realised that there was a gap in the market for safe and supervised drum and bass type events for those under 18 who enjoy these genres, but cannot easily access them.

Sidney says: “This event is exciting for a lot of reasons. Growing up in Hastings in the early to mid-2000s you had nights like Liquid and Hype in big venues like the ballroom on the pier and St Mary in the Castle. There was so much buzz around these events. People still talk about them now. Young MCs and DJs were given a platform to perform in big venues. I want OB SOUNDS to offer the same opportunities and create a similar vibe 20 years on.”

Hastings Commons are proud to be working in partnership with Shoulder 2 Shoulder, a group of DJs and MCs who are all under 21, who have been putting on similar events in the last few months in much smaller venues. The line-up for the 17th includes: Dmunz, DJ Tizzle, DJ Butcher and Beezy, who are all excited for the paid opportunity to perform in a much larger venue space than usual.

Funding for this event comes from the Youth Investment Fund (YIF) from the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) through the Social Investment Business, as part of a commitment to young people to transform and ‘level up’ the out-of-school youth sector.

Since securing the YIF funding in March 2023, Hastings Commons has been working with partners, including Xtrax, to develop a Youth Commons offering, which alongside the creation of live music events like OB SOUNDS, also involves work placements, after school youth sessions (launching in September) and the redevelopment of Hastings Commons buildings to create new spaces for young people.

Buy £2 tickets for OB SOUNDS on Eventbrite.

OB SOUNDS is from 6pm – 9pm on Thursday 17th August, at the Observer Building, 53 Cambridge Road, Hastings, TN34 1DT.