Drop The Dumbells returns, holds festival this weekend

Remember a while back we told you about Don’t Drop The Dumbells? When we featured it, the space was in the process of shutting down (read more in our profile).

Well, it’s back. Hooray. Now known as Drop The Dumbells, it’s taken over a derilict space on Slater Street - and is, we’re told by the Dumbells crew themselves, “a bit more legal”. It’s been open a while already, having hosted an excellent exhibition and some ear-blastingly brilliant parties already. This weekend, the Dumbells crew are celebrating properly by hosting a three day festival. It sounds ace.

Friday night is a fundraiser for the Depression Alliance, and features a series of must-see rap battles and spoken word, alongside Oddbwar, Rumjig, The Fire Beneath The Sea and more: a late one, all in a great cause.

Saturday’s headlined by DJ Scotch Bonnett, formerly known as Brighton based DJ Scotch Egg, who made a regular habit of destroying Bar Fresa with his Game Boy bleepcore a few years ago whenever he visited Liverpool. Now he deals in expansive, noisy instrumental hip hop: a must see. A supporting lineup of noisy, anarchic DIY dance and punk plays beforehand.

On Sunday, local electronic legends UpItUp Records take over with their Uperitive night, playing host to Panoram, Gulfire, Kepla and Jacques: all weirdo electronica and skewed pop music. Best of all, it’s coupled in with a stomach-filling buffet that kicks off early on: there’s lasagne and all sorts of delish homemade food included in the entry price.

As well as the music, Liverpool based Becky Johnson also shows off her artwork as part of an on-site exhibition in the space all weekend. Even if you make it for just one of the nights, it’ll be worth it to see this forward-thinking space back in action. The city’s a better place for it.

Drop The Dumbells Gallery
34 Slater Street, Liverpool
Friday: 7.30pm, £3. Saturday: 8pm, donation entry. Sunday: 6pm, £3.