Connie

Hello darling! I’m Connie.

At heart, I’m a writer with a deep love for poetry, British rap, and MCing. And, with a formal career in marketing, I jumped at the chance to lead the marketing for The Bag Factory and Acid Rain.

A couple of you are starting to click on, but if you haven’t noticed, we’ve got multiple divisions operating behind the scenes. This is more than music journalism. Right now, you may recognise Acid Rain for our Unsampled Rave TV and event coverage, but there are SO many more exciting ventures to come. Podcasts, pop-up events and a feature-length documentary are all in the works.

By day, I’m planning content and building strategies. By night, you might find me behind the bar, skanking on the dancefloor, or scheming on my laptop. Come and talk, I’m always eager to connect with those who want to engage with this pocket of the scene we’re cultivating.

My role? Keeping The Bag Factory and Acid Rain real and alive. That means balancing short-term and long-term strategy, securing partnerships, and figuring out how to survive as a business that we don’t view as a business and yet MUST view as a business to keep it alive. This is a project by ravers, for ravers, built on passion, not profit.

The Bag Factory is now a living, breathing venue for emerging artists and communities that have long been underrepresented.

When I listen to artists, the main thing I’m looking for is a sense of authenticity. We find authenticity in their attitude, mindset, message, and audience engagement. Most importantly, do they look happy to be here?

I say this to prompt you to ask the same questions of us at Acid Rain.

My love for the EDM community of Manchester is immense, and I know my fellow Acid Rainers echo this sentiment. So, I want you to take a long, hard look at me and the team. Feel the passion behind us. Take notice. Get a sense of our energy. Once you do, you’ll start to understand how seriously I take our broader mission. A mission to foster and platform inclusivity, support, safety, and self-expression for all of us who are gripping onto a scene that seems to be slipping through our fingers.

If home is where the heart is, The Bag Factory is your big, dysfunctional living room in the heart of Manchester.

I got into raving at a time in my life when I was longing for community and connection. Connection both with others and with myself. All my life, I’d been a very shy dancer and awkward in my body, despite being a confident character. When I started raving, I was heading out solo. I witnessed the immense freedom that everyone exhibits on the dance floor, where you’re not dancing to look sexy or to draw attention. Everyone was dancing authentically and recklessly, and it was infectiously liberating. Thank you to the rave for providing a safe space of self-expression, and thank you to my fellow ravers for delivering a truly non-judgemental community.

Outside the seriousness, I vow to remain a child at heart. A confessed silly goose with an adoration for bubbles (just wait until you see the killer bubble machine I’m building for TBF). I love music of all kinds, from Neuro DnB to Industrial Techno, from love ballads to Broadway soundtracks. I’ve even curated a playlist that captures the chaos, because I’m nice like that.

That’s me, my love. Follow me on Instagram @cyber_poet_connie, send me your best memes, and I promise to meet you at the front. Can’t wait to squeeze all your squishy faces 🖤