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Sean McLusky is a British music promoter, nightclub impresario and film producer.


Early life

Sean grew up in Welwyn Garden City. After leaving school he attended art college in Stratford upon Avon. The early 1980s saw Sean McLusky as a professional musician, first as a member of Switch, with his brother Graham and friends, then with the original Indie band
Subway Sect Subway Sect were one of the first British punk bands. Although their commercial success was limited by the small amount of recorded material they released, they have been credited as highly influential on the Postcard Records scene and the ind ...
and then with beat outfit
JoBoxers JoBoxers are a British New wave music, new wave band (music), group formed in London, England in 1982 when former Subway Sect members Rob Marche (guitarist), Dave Collard (keyboardist), Chris Bostock (bassist), and Sean McLusky (drummer) teame ...
, scoring two top ten singles at home and touring a debut album across Europe and the
USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...
. McLusky also became a music promoter in the mid-1980s with soul all-nighters and a weekly live night called 'Club Left' in Soho, London.


Career


The Brain Club

McLusky's first attempt at venue makeovers and takeovers started with The Brain (club) in 1988 with partner, Mark Wigan. McLusky and Mark Wigan then moved onto Soho, transforming the interior of an old bar and re-launching it as The Brain. This new club was to be one of the first in the West End to host regular house music nights, and fledgling electronic bands like Orbital, Adamski, and
A Guy Called Gerald Gerald Rydel Simpson (born 1967), better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British record producer and musician. He was an early member of the electronic group 808 State, contributing to their debut LP '' Newbuild'' (1988) and hit single " ...
gave some of their early live performances there. McLusky produced two compilation albums out of this venue for his label Brainiak Records: ''Live at the Brain'' and ''Live at the Brain 2'' featuring artists such as Orbital, Nexus 21, Sheep on Drugs and Mr Monday.


Love Ranch

By 1991, McLusky and partner Mark Wigan had found a new professional home at Maximus in London's Leicester Square. The 'Love Ranch' club night was created, with a cast of resident DJs that included Andrew Weatherall from Boys Own / Sabres of Paradise at the time, Paul Daley from
Leftfield Leftfield are a British electronic music group formed in London in 1989, a duo of Neil Barnes and Paul Daley (the latter formerly of The Rivals and A Man Called Adam). The duo was influential in the evolution of electronic music in the 1990s ...
, Darren Emerson from
Underworld The underworld, also known as the netherworld or hell, is the supernatural world of the dead in various religious traditions and myths, located below the world of the living. Chthonic is the technical adjective for things of the underworld. ...
,
Danny Rampling Daniel Rampling (born 15 July 1961), better known as Danny Rampling is an English house music DJ and is widely credited as one of the original founders of the UK's rave/club scene. His long career began in the early 1980s playing hip-hop, soul ...
from Shoom and Al Mackenzie from D-Ream. Following Love Ranch, in 1993, McLusky also re-launched and promoted the recently re-discovered Cafe de Paris with his flagship 'Merry England' club night.


Club UK

In 1994, McLusky was appointed as the creative heart of a new venue in South London, which he designed and programmed, christening it Club UK, soon successfully challenging the dominance of the well-established Ministry of Sound, drawing over 3,000 people every Friday and Saturday. The club featured the regular DJ talents of
Andrew Weatherall Andrew James Weatherall (6 April 1963 – 17 February 2020) was an English musician, DJ, songwriter, producer and remixer. His career took him from being a DJ in the acid house movement of the late 1980s to being a remixer of tracks by Happy M ...
,
John Digweed Thomas John Digweed (born April 1967) is a British DJ and record producer. As well as achieving success as a solo act, he has collaborated with Sasha as Sasha & John Digweed, and with Nick Muir as Bedrock. Digweed was voted as No. 1 DJ in DJ ...
,
Paul Oakenfold Paul Mark Oakenfold (; born 30 August 1963), formerly known mononymously as Oakenfold, is an English record producer, remixer and trance DJ. He has provided over 100 remixes for over 100 artists including U2, Moby, Madonna, Britney Spears, Ma ...
,
Carl Cox Carl Andrew Cox (born 29 July 1962) is a British house and techno club DJ, radio DJ, motorsport team owner and record producer. He is based in Frankston, Victoria, Australia. Cox has won and been nominated for numerous awards. He has perfor ...
,
Justin Robertson Lionrock was a British big beat group, comprising record producer Justin Robertson, MC Buzz B, and producer, engineer, programmer and synthesist Roger Lyons. Lyons replaced recording engineer Mark Stagg in 1995. Their biggest chart success cam ...
, John Kelly and
Laurent Garnier Laurent Garnier (born 1 February 1966), also known as Choice, is a French electronic music producer and DJ. Garnier began DJing in Manchester during the late 1980s. He became a producer in the early 1990s and recorded several albums. Early influe ...
.


Leisure Lounge

In 1994, McLusky instigated the conversion of the Old Paddocks snooker club in Holborn, which he designed and launched as the Leisure Lounge, ‘a voracious pace-setting and attitude-free venue’ The Leisure Lounge featured a mix of dance music club nights like Goldie's
Metalheadz Metalheadz is a major drum and bass record label based in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1994 by Kemistry & Storm and Goldie. History Origins Goldie's early experiences of the rave scene, especially the club ''Rage'' had a profound eff ...
and live music events, plus arts events like Rankin's first major London photography show.


The Complex

At the same time, McLusky began a long-term annual collaboration with the Mean Fiddler organization, programming the dance stage
Reading Festival The Reading and Leeds Festivals are a pair of annual music festivals that take place in Reading, Berkshire, Reading and Leeds in England. The events take place simultaneously on the Friday, Saturday and Sunday of the August bank holiday weekend ...
and organizing the festival aftershow events. Around the same time as The Complex was seizing a substantial share of the market, McLusky became involved with a more radical and intimate club night, ‘Fantasy Ashtray’ at Soho's Madame Jo Jo's. Called by Time Out ‘...a rockin’, punky, thrash night with live acts’, Fantasy Ashtray was founded on genuine musical variety and featured classic live acts like
Jayne County Jayne County (born Wayne Rogers) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, record producer, and visual artist whose career has spanned six decades. Under the name Wayne County (inspired by Wayne County, Michigan), she was the vocalist of infl ...
and the Electric Chairs alongside new live underground talent.


Sonic Mook Experiment @ 333 Old Street

After a six-month stay in New York, McLusky was the first promoter to discover the 333 club in what was then the very run down, quiet district of London called Shoreditch Sonic Mook pioneered the practice of multi-room, multi sound, eclecticism, drawing hordes of disaffected youths to this forgotten quarter of London. Unconventional and debauched Sonic Mook Experiment attracted a ‘stunning mix of loyal radical chic cognoscenti’ (Time Out) but with awful/ ‘ironic’ DJs playing power ballads and rock anthems plus an eclectic mix of dance music DJs and guest musicians like Mark E Smith ( The Fall),
Jerry Dammers Jeremy David Hounsell Dammers GCOT (born 22 May 1955) is a British musician who was a founder, keyboard player and primary songwriter of the Coventry-based ska band the Specials (also known as the Special A.K.A.) and later the Spatial AKA Orch ...
( Specials), Jimmy Pursey (
Sham 69 Sham 69 are an English punk rock band that formed in Hersham in Surrey in 1975. They changed their musical direction after seeing the Sex Pistols play live in early 1976. They were one of the most successful punk bands in the United Kingdom, ac ...
),
Dee Dee Ramone Douglas Glenn Colvin (September 18, 1951 – June 5, 2002), better known by his stage name Dee Dee Ramone, was an American musician. He was the bassist, occasional lead vocalist and a founding member of the punk rock band the Ramones. Throughou ...
(
Ramones The Ramones were an American punk rock band formed in the New York City neighborhood Forest Hills, Queens in 1974. Known for helping establish the punk movement in the United States and elsewhere, the Ramones are often recognized as one of th ...
),
Alan Vega Alan Bermowitz (June 23, 1938–July 16, 2016), known professionally as Alan Vega, was an American vocalist and visual artist, primarily known for his work with the electronic proto-punk duo Suicide. Life and career Alan Bermowitz was raise ...
(
Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
). People dispensed with the pretensions and conventions of the West End and came to sample the new East End in what has been cryptically described by Loaded magazine as ‘an eclectic Capri of madness – driven by the insane’. . Sonic Mook Experiment grew in infamy at the 333 Club in Shoreditch from 1996 to 1999 before moving to the Scala in Kings Cross.


The Scala

The next major project was two years in the making; the conception, design, conversion, programming and launch of The Scala in Kings Cross London, eventually opening in March 1999 to critical acclaim. A derelict cinema infamous for its all-night films in the eighties was transformed under McLusky's guidance into a spectacular music venue hosting club nights featuring DJs including
James Lavelle James Lavelle (born 22 February 1974) is an English electronic musician, record label owner and curator. He founded the Mo'Wax record label in 1992, and has been the only constant member of UNKLE. He directed the 2014 edition of the Meltdo ...
,
The Chemical Brothers The Chemical Brothers are an English electronic music duo formed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands in Manchester in 1992. They were pioneers in bringing the big beat genre to the forefront of pop culture. Originally known as The Dust Brothers, th ...
, Mr Thing, Fabio, Storm Bailey, and diverse live music programming including shows from Royal Trux,
Coldplay Coldplay are a British Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer and percussionist Will Champion, and manager Phil Harvey (band m ...
,
Roni Size Ryan Owen Granville Williams (born 29 October 1969), better known by his stage name Roni Size, is an English DJ and record producer. He came to prominence in 1997 as the founder and frontman of Roni Size & Reprazent, a drum and bass collective. ...
,
Moby Richard Melville Hall (September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "amo ...
, Pavement,
Foo Fighters The Foo Fighters are an American Rock music, rock band formed in Seattle in 1994. Initially founded as a one-man project by former Nirvana (band), Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, the band comprises vocalist/guitarist Grohl, bassist Nate Mendel, gu ...
,
Johnny Marr John Martin Marr (Birth name#Maiden and married names, né Maher; born 31 October 1963) is a musician, songwriter and singer. He first achieved fame as the guitarist and co-songwriter of the Smiths, who were active from 1982 to 1987. He has sinc ...
, Sigue Sigue Sputnik plus eclectic film events like a Russ Meyer retrospective with guests including Hugh Hefner. Sean also programmed in arts events and exhibitions like shows from
Mick Rock Michael David Rock (born Michael Edward Chester Smith; 21 November 1948 – 18 November 2021) was a British photographer. He photographed rock music acts such as Queen, David Bowie, Waylon Jennings, T. Rex, Syd Barrett, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop and ...
& ex Warhol photographer Nat Finkelstien.


Sonic Mook Compilations on Mute Records 2001 / 2003

In 2001, McLusky produced some eclectic rock and roll and electronica albums for Mute's Blast First label; 1 Sonic Mook Experiment featuring –
Primal Scream Primal Scream are a Scottish rock music, rock band originally formed in 1982 in Glasgow by Bobby Gillespie (vocals) and Jim Beattie (musician), Jim Beattie (guitar). The band's current lineup consists of Gillespie, Andrew Innes (guitar), Simon ...
, Death in Vegas,
Pulp Pulp may refer to: * Pulp (fruit), the inner flesh of fruit * Pulp (band), an English rock band Engineering * Pulp (paper), the fibrous material used to make paper * Dissolving pulp, highly purified cellulose used in fibre and film manufacture ...
, Clinic, Fat Truckers, Playgroup. 2 'Future Rock&Roll' featuring the new breed of Rock&Roll bands emerging from the UK & US underground, like - Yeah Yeah Yeah's, Liars,
The Hives The Hives are a Swedish garage rock band formed in Fagersta in 1993. After gaining success in Sweden throughout the 1990s, they rose to worldwide prominence in the early 2000s during the garage rock revival. The band's line-upconsisting of H ...
, Whitey, Electralane, Icara Colt, The Beatings and The Parkinsons, and 3 'Hot Shit' featuring – Radio 4, !!! Chk Chk Chk, Chrome Hoof, Ex Models and Erase Errata. With Sonic Mook events at the ICA, South Bank Centre, 93 Feet East, Cargo and the Astoria Theatre in London, plus events in Barcelona and Berlin, featuring DJ's and new live talent.


Future Rock & Roll Festival @ ICA 2002

McLusky created a four-day new bands festival at the ICA to be held during the queen's golden jubilee weekend in June 2002. The festival and accompanying compilation album became the catalyst for the emerging new Rock & Roll scene in London. The festival featured over 20 new bands including
The Libertines The Libertines are an English Rock music, rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, included John Hassall ...
, 80s Matchbox B-Line Disaster,
The Parkinsons John and Donald Parkinson were a father-and-son architectural firm operating in the Los Angeles area in the early 20th century. They designed and built many of the city's iconic buildings, including Grand Central Market, the Memorial Colise ...
, Liars, The Beatings, Buff Medways, Martini Henry Rifles, McLusky and Earl Brutus. He worked on this with long term collaborator Martin J Tickner.


Le Nouveau Rock and Roll Francais

In 2003, McLusky started taking new UK bands over to Paris to play the clubs Batofar and Nouveau Casino, convinced that there must be a local scene lurking under the surface in Paris and with the help of local rocker & DJ Jean Baptiste Juillot, he started to dig about in the Paris underground, bands were found and booked in as supports on his Paris bills. A deal was struck with V2 France to produce a compilation album named by McLusky ''Le Nouveau Rock'n'Roll Français''.


1-2-3-4 Records

In 2004, Sean McLusky started 1-2-3-4 Records, releasing singles and albums from artists emerging from the new East London music scene like Whitey (musician),
Babyshambles Babyshambles are an English rock band established in London. The band was formed by Pete Doherty (lead vocals, rhythm guitar) during a hiatus from the Libertines. As of 2014 the band included Mick Whitnall (lead guitar), Drew McConnell (bas ...
, Cazals, Negative For Francis, Twisted Charm, The White Sport, Cosmetique, The Bishops, The Objects, Trafalgar, Lowline, and more recently new bands Arrows Of Love, Bad For Lazarus, Teenage Mothers, Sisteray, Factotum and new material from classic artists
Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. The ...
.


Return To New York

In 2003, McLusky teamed up with the DJ / Producer Arthur Baker to create a series of global events called ‘Return To New York’. Its London home was the Great Eastern Hotel and the events featured artists like
LCD Soundsystem LCD Soundsystem is an American Dance-punk#Contemporary dance-punk, dance-punk revival band from Brooklyn, Brooklyn, New York, formed in 2002 by James Murphy (electronic musician), James Murphy, of DFA Records. The band comprises Murphy (vocals ...
, Peaches, New Order,
Pet Shop Boys Pet Shop Boys are an English synth-pop duo formed in London in 1981. Consisting of vocalist Neil Tennant and keyboardist Chris Lowe, they have sold more than 100 million records worldwide and were listed as the most successful duo in UK music h ...
, Tom Tom Club,
Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble, July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie (band), Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1 ...
, Phil Oakey, Junior Sanches, Erol Alkan and 2 many Djs (Soulwax). ‘Return To New York’ also hosted events at the Miami Winter Music Conference with line ups including The Rapture, LCD, Peaches, Milo, Princess Superstar, 2 Many Djs and they have toured the events at major venues and festivals across Europe. ‘Return to New York’ events were designed to bridge the last 20 years of electronic music, unifying the talents of the originators with the new breed of DJ /producers and live acts.


The 1-2-3-4 Festival

In the summer of 2007, McLusky started in partnership with long term collaborator Martin J Tickner – The 1-2-3-4 Festival in East London promoting emerging bands alongside international artists. The festival has featured artists including:
Har Mar Superstar Sean Tillmann-Hauser (born February 6, 1978) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. He has performed and released studio albums as Sean Na Na and as a member of hardcore band Calvin Krime, but is best known for his work under the name Har M ...
with Fab Morretti from
The Strokes The Strokes are an American Rock music, rock band formed in New York City in 1998. The band is composed of lead singer and primary songwriter Julian Casablancas, guitarists Nick Valensi and Albert Hammond, Jr., Albert Hammond Jr., bassist Nikola ...
,
Florence and the Machine Florence and the Machine (stylised as Florence + the Machine) are an English indie rock band formed in London in 2007 by lead vocalist Florence Welch, keyboardist Isabella Summers, guitarist Rob Ackroyd, drummer Christopher Lloyd Hayden and harp ...
,
The Rakes The Rakes were an English post-punk musical ensemble, band formed in London in 2003. Their first album ''Capture/Release'' released in 2005, received a nine out of ten review in the ''NME'' and was rated 13th best album of the year in the same ...
, Patrick Woolf, The Warlocks,
Bobby Gillespie Robert Gillespie ( ; born 22 June 1961) is a Scottish musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He is the lead singer, founding member, primary lyricist, and sole continuous member of the alternative rock band Primal Scream. He wa ...
(Primal Scream),
Glen Matlock Glen Matlock (born 27 August 1956) is an English musician, best known for being the bass guitarist in the original line-up of the punk rock band the Sex Pistols. He is credited as a songwriter on 10 of the 12 songs on the Sex Pistols' only offic ...
(
Sex Pistols The Sex Pistols are an English punk rock band formed in London in 1975. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years, they became culturally influential in popular music. The band initiated the punk movement in the United Ki ...
),
Zak Starkey Zak Richard Starkey (born 13 September 1965) is an English rock drummer who toured and recorded with the Who from 1996 to 2025. He is also the third drummer to have appeared with Oasis. Other musicians and bands he has worked with include Johnny ...
(
The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
),
Peter Hook Peter Hook (born 13 February 1956) is an English musician. He was the bassist and co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division and its successor New Order. He often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...
( New Order /
Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...
), Black Lips, Ravonettes,
Lydia Lunch Lydia Lunch (born Lydia Anne Koch; June 2, 1959)Martin Charles Strong. ''The Great Indie Discography''. 2003, page 85 is an American singer, poet, writer, actress and self-empowerment speaker. Her career began during the 1970s New York City no ...
, Damo Suzuki (Can),
Buzzcocks Buzzcocks are an English punk rock band that singer-songwriter-guitarist Pete Shelley and singer-songwriter Howard Devoto formed in Manchester in 1976. During their career, the band combined elements of punk rock, power pop, and pop punk. The ...
,
Deap Vally Deap Vally are an American rock music, rock duo, formed in Los Angeles, California in 2011. The group consists of Lindsey Troy (guitar, vocals) and Julie Edwards (drums, vocals). They have released four albums, four EPs, and a number of singles. ...
, Iceage, The Duke Spirit, Dirty Beaches, Mark Stewart (The Pop Group), Crocodiles, and Dum Dum Girls.


Sean McLusky Artist Management

A brief list of signings to major and indie labels include: The Martini Henry Rifles 2001 / 2004 signing to FF Vinyl. Whitey 2004 / 2006 signing to Universal, Towers Of London 2005 / 2006 signing to TVT records, Cazals 2005 / 2007 signing to Kitsune Records. S.C.U.M (band) 2008 / 2012 signing to
Mute Records Mute Records is a British independent record label owned and founded in 1978 by Daniel Miller (music producer), Daniel Miller. It has featured several prominent musical acts on its roster such as Depeche Mode, Erasure (duo), Erasure, Einstürze ...
and touring with
The Horrors The Horrors are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Southend-on-Sea in 2005 by lead vocalist Faris Badwan, guitarist Joshua Hayward, keyboardist and synthesizer player Tom Furse, bassist Rhys Webb, and drummer and percussionist Joe Spurg ...
,
The Kills The Kills are an English-American rock music, rock duo formed by American singer Alison Mosshart, Alison "VV" Mosshart and English guitarist Jamie Hince, Jamie "Hotel" Hince. They are signed to Domino Recording Company, Domino Records. Their fi ...
, Saint Leonard's Horses, 2016 ( Kieran Leonard)


Sean McLusky DJ

Sean McLusky has DJed across the globe – Miami Winter Music,
Space (Ibiza nightclub) Space (, , ) was a superclub on the island of Ibiza, Spain from 1986 to 2016, owned by STANCA. In 2022 the brand opened a bar near Cafe Mambo. They sometimes run popup events around the world, but don't have a fixed club at the time of writing ...
and Privilege in Ibiza, and at festivals and clubs in Berlin, Tel Aviv, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Millan, Madrid, Lisbon, Warsaw, Kraków, New York City, Los Angeles, plus a long running residency at Razzmatazz Club in Barcelona, he is also a regular at the Playboy Club, The Scotch of St. James,
Tramp (nightclub) Tramp is a private, members-only nightclub located on Jermyn Street in central London, England. It was founded in 1969 by Johnny Gold, Bill Ofner and Oscar Lerman. The club built a reputation for discretion, banning photography and gossip writers ...
, Ace Hotel and the Dog Star in London. Mclusky also consults on hotel music programming – clients have included: the Great Eastern Hotel & South Place Hotel in City of London, The Mondrian Hotel, and Ace Hotel.


1-2-3-4 FILMS

In 2011, McLusky set up 1-2-3-4 Films with Writer/Director Trevor Miller to develop and produce films. Their first production, entitled Riot on Redchurch Street is a feature film shot on location in East London. It juxtaposes the 'downtown' music scene against a backdrop of Anglo-Muslim racial tension. The cast includes Allyson Paradis, Jesse Birdsall, Sam Hazeldine, Les McKeown, Lois Winstone, with a soundtrack featuring original songs by
Siobhan Fahey Siobhan Maire Deirdre Fahey (; born 10 September 1958) is an Irish singer whose vocal range is a light contralto. She was a founding member of the British girl group Bananarama, who have had ten top-10 hits including the List of Billboard Hot ...
(Shakespears Sister). Time Out gave 'Riot' three-stars and described the film as "a hybrid between Gangster No. 1 and Stalking Pete Doherty." 1-2-3-4 Films has two more features in pre-production for 2015 ‘This Charming Man’ and ‘Trip City.’


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McLusky, Sean British DJs Music promoters Living people Year of birth missing (living people)