Sacha Lord

Sacha John Edward Lord (born 26 January 1972), also known as Sacha John Lord-Marchionne, is a British political figure, entrepreneur, author and co-creator of the Parklife festival and The Warehouse Project.

He was the Night Time Economy Adviser for Greater Manchester, appointed by Mayor Andy Burnham, from 2018 to January 2025.

Early life

Lord was born on 26 January 1972 in Altrincham, Cheshire (now Greater Manchester), and grew up in the town. His father was a textile merchant, and his mother an interior designer. Lord was educated at Manchester Grammar School, leaving at aged 18 having gained two Us and an E at A-Level. After leaving school, Lord worked at a clothes shop in Altrincham, and later started a market stall at Liverpool market, selling leather jackets. After quitting his market job, Lord became involved in the rave-influenced music scene, and spent most of his time listening to The Stone Roses, Prince, The Smiths and David Bowie.

Business ventures

The Warehouse Project

Inspired by the success of events at Home and Sankeys nightclubs in Manchester, Lord launched the Warehouse Project, a series of rave events running annually from September to 1 January, in 2006 with co-founder Sam Kandel.

It began operations in the disused Boddingtons Brewery in Strangeways, and then moved into a space under Manchester Piccadilly station, on Store Street, which previously served as an air raid shelter.

The opening night of The Warehouse Project was described by Lord as "a nightmare" due to its location next to the prison, and he later revealed the Governor of HM Prison Manchester had called to say it was disturbing inmates.

The Warehouse Project went on to feature some of the most in-demand names in international house and techno music, including New Order, The Chemical Brothers and Calvin Harris - whose appearance, Lord later went onto reveal, was a favour for an A&R at Sony. Lord revealed he put Harris (an unknown DJ at the time) on the 21:30 slot, despite doors only opening at 22:00.

The Warehouse Project attracted 100,000 people in its first year and has continued to sell out annually.

In 2019, Lord and Kandel moved The Warehouse Project to Depot at the former Manchester Mayfield railway station, a move which saw it become the biggest club night in the UK with a 10,000 person capacity. The move also put it on a par with the current Guinness World Record holder of the largest nightclub in the world, Privilege in Ibiza, which can also hold 10,000 revellers.

Lord has been a supporter for drug safety campaigns and has called for drug testing laboratories and on site forensic testing at all UK clubs and festivals. Although not responsible for the incident, Lord's campaigning followed the death of Nick Bonnie, 30, in 2013 who was found collapsed at a Warehouse Project rave after taking almost 15 times the standard recreational dose of MDMA.

The Warehouse Project events were put on hold in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic, but returned in 2021 following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

Parklife Festival

Lord co-created Parklife Festival in 2010, to celebrate artists across indie, house and techno music. It has hosted some of the biggest names in music, including Snoop Dogg, Liam Gallagher and Skepta.

The weekend festival, which moved from Platt Fields Park in Fallowfield to Heaton Park, Manchester in 2012, attracts 80,000 visitors each year.

The Festival employs over 4,500 people over the weekend. Each year, it raises over £100k for the Parklife Community Foundation, that is distributed to help local causes.

Parklife Festival was cancelled in 2020 due to the Coronavirus pandemic and rescheduled to September 2021 following the easing of lockdown restrictions.

In July 2024, it was announced that Sacha Lord had exited The Warehouse Project and Parklife. In a statement, Lord confirmed that he would be exiting the two businesses he co-founded, following a deal to transfer his shares to LN Gaiety — a joint venture between Live Nation and Gaiety Investments which acquired a majority share in the businesses in 2016.

Hide Out Festival

Lord was one of the creators of Croatia's Hideout Festival, a five-day alternative music extravaganza held on the island of Pag, in 2011. It has sold out every single year since its conception.

Wythenshawe F.C.

In April 2023, Lord was announced as the new chairman of newly promoted non-league football club Wythenshawe F.C.

Primary Events Solutions

Primary Events Solutions, originally named Primary Security Limited, was a Private limited company established by Lord in 2009.
The company provided event staffing services in North West England.

Having suffered setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic, the company filed for liquidation in 2023 due to "corporate insolvency". As of 2025, the company is still in the process of winding up.

In 2021, the company received an Arts Council Culture Recovery Fund grant of £401,928 in 2021. In 2025, the Arts Council announced that they were seeking to get the funds returned. The Council had previously cleared the company of any misuse of public funds, but on further review, sought to have the funds returned. Lord acknowledged had been 'oversights' in the application.

Night Time Economy Adviser

Appointment as Adviser

In 2018, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham appointed Sasha Lord as the region's first " Night Time Economy Adviser". The position was unpaid, with any income generated being donated to charity. Although Lord did not formally apply for the role, he had lobbied Burnham on the importance of nightlife prior to Burnham's victory in the inaugural mayoral elections in May 2017.

The role involved advising Burnham and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) on matters related to the night-time economy, representing the interests of workers, operators, and the industry as a whole. The night-time economy is a significant part of Greater Manchester's economy, employing 358,000 people, about 33% of the region's workforce.

Advocacy for the night-time economy

Lord made several recommendations to improve safety, transport, and cultural diversity within the night-time economy. These included proposing extended opening hours to increase accessibility and advocating for the development of better night-time transport links to serve under-represented communities in the outskirts of the region.

In August 2018, Lord also campaigned for a fair wage policy for night-time hospitality staff, calling for full transparency in tipping practices for bar and restaurant workers.

Role during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic brought Lord to the forefront of discussions on the future of the nightlife sector. As a leading voice for UK nightlife, his expertise was sought by Paul Scully, the Secretary of State for Small Business, Consumers, and Labour Markets, to help businesses survive during the pandemic.

In October 2020, Lord initiated legal proceedings against the UK Government in response to the 22:00 curfew imposed on hospitality venues. He argued that the policy disproportionately impacted sections of society in disadvantaged areas who relied on wet-led pubs for community socialization. The case was later moved to the High Court but did not progress further as the government had already removed the policy by March 2021.

In March 2021, Lord filed a new legal case challenging the continued closure of indoor hospitality venues, arguing that they were safer than non-essential retail stores due to their Covid-safe measures. Lord's legal efforts were supported by industry groups, including UKHospitality and the British Beer and Pub Association.

Post-pandemic efforts

In May 2023, Lord announced that he was working with lawyers from JMW Solicitors to assist hospitality businesses in recovering hidden commissions paid to brokers by energy companies, which he identified as a contributing factor to hospitality closures.

Later in 2023, Lord called for the UK government to reinstate the hospitality VAT rate to 12.5%, in line with rates in other European countries. This request was part of a "five-point plan to save hospitality," which was presented at the Labour Party Conference in Liverpool.

Support for night-time transport

In July 2024, Lord supported Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's initiative to introduce a night-time bus service. He argued that night workers should not face higher transport costs due to their work hours. The new service was launched as part of a 24-hour transport pilot on September 1, 2024.

Resignation

On January 29, 2025, Lord resigned from his position as Night Time Economy Adviser, citing the emotional toll caused by a review by Arts Council England into a grant awarded to a company, Primary Event Solutions, in which Lord was a minority shareholder. The grant had been awarded during the pandemic, but Arts Council England sought to recover the funds following an internal review. Lord criticized the review process, highlighting inconsistencies and a lack of proportionality. Arts Council England had previously cleared the company in 2022, stating no misuse of public funds had occurred.

Charitable work

Lord was patron of the Joshua Wilson Brain Tumour Charity (charity reg number 1151518) until he resigned the role in 2021

Lord is also an avid campaigner on the role of mental health services for those working in the night-time economy.

During the global Coronavirus pandemic in 2020, Lord co-founded the UnitedWeStream Manchester campaign, a livestream gig website which raised over £600,000 for businesses in the night time economy and charities in Greater Manchester including the Mayor's Homelessness Charity and music therapy charity, Nordoff Robbins, through a relief fund on the website. A number of artists performed on the live stream website, including Roger Sanchez and Paul Oakenfold.

In February 2023, Lord announced the launch of The Sacha Lord Foundation (charity reg number 1204808), a charity providing those aged 15–21 with educational funding and employment opportunities in the hospitality and event sectors.

Author

In April 2024, Sacha Lord released his memoir ''Tales From the Dancefloor'' which reflected on the history of nightclub culture in Manchester, UK. It became a ''Sunday Times'' Bestseller in its first week on sale.

In its review of the book, ''The Daily Telegraph'' said "Anyone who has partied in Manchester over the past 20 years can thank Sacha Lord," and that "Lord has put Manchester's clubland on the map for a new generation."

Personal life

Lord married Demi Mclaughlin, a category manager for the online retailer Very, in April 2022, in Capri. The wedding had been postponed from 2021 due to COVID. In July 2024, Lord announced his wife, Demi, was pregnant with their first child.

In 2022, he announced he had joined the Labour Party.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lord, Sacha
1972 births
Living people
Music festival founders
English businesspeople
Labour Party (UK) people