EDITORIAL 003 - Our Community

THE EDITOR
Oct 25
4 min read

Alyssa showing our top of the range liquor

Wow. Four months in and honestly... we never thought we’d be here.

Like, actually here.

What started as a dream held together by cable ties, caffeine, and chaos has become something that makes me cry at least twice a week (in the good way... most days).

The response we’ve had has been beautifully overwhelming.

The impossible, it turns out, can be possible... it just takes a bit of graft, a few miracles, and a LOT of Red Stripe.

From back-to-back day raves to hosting some of the most iconic collectives and sound systems in the North, to giving new grassroots ventures a home they’ve been screaming for; to say it has been transformative is an understatement. You can feel it in the walls, the laughter, the cigarette chats, the basslines that hit just right.

And honestly, it’s changed every single one of our lives in the team.

The Bag Factory Mcr — Filthy little skankers

The Bag Factory has made us believe again — in people, in collectives, in fate, in harmony and chaos, in the idea that maybe, just maybe... something magical happens when a bunch of weirdos with too much passion and not enough sleep decide to build something together.

It’s given us purpose. It’s given us family.

And that family? That’s you 👏 the reader, the raver, the wanderer who just stumbled in on a Saturday because they “heard the bass from down the road".

You make this possible. Every fiver at the bar, every shout of support, every “you lot are smashing it” DM. That’s the stuff that keeps us ALIVE.

We’ve got £3.50 Red Stripe (because we’d rather you dance than go broke), a sick new sound system thanks to our boys at Big Tone Sound — massive love to Dylan and Josh ❤️ , and a community that keeps growing and glowing in all directions.

We’re all-inclusive, all-welcoming. This is a safe space for everyone.

Massive Love Roll Call

To our ravers who’ve been here since the start (Shout out Nieve — you’re part of the joint).

To every collective that’s made this place home ...

The Junkies Crew (you absolute lovely fuckers, your night was chaos in the best way), Dankashire (we wouldn’t even exist without your pre-launch help | eternal love), Druids of Dub and NRB (pure talent, pure filth | can’t wait for that Halloween special ❤️).

And then there are our DECKHEADZ which is a collective run by one of the founders of the Bag Factory (Will) who have been here supporting us since the beginning. Did they have a choice? No. But thank you regardless and your nights are always heaver shellers.

Then there’s Mind Over Matter — with Leia-J, who donate everything to the mental health charity of the same name. Heavy tunes, pure heart. Always a night worth catching.

Illuminox — Gabby, you’re unreal. Two sell-outs and counting, and every crowd you pull feels like a big, glowing hug.

And PJ, aka FXCKBOUT — honestly, you are a force of nature. The way you hold down the underground, lift others up, and still manage to smash sets that melt faces, well you inspire me constantly.

To the Brainiac lads who have been with us since the beginning, I raise a shot to you Joe & Oscar - you have always supported us and for that we are so grateful. Fucking sick lineups and heavy Jungle tunage for dayz.

Running a sound system is not for the weak, you hardly make any money off them but the legacy will come once you have a sick stack. Union Sound, may your subs be subbing for eternity, you're day rave here put us on the map for a lot of the old Abbey Taphouse community and we literally cannot wait for your New Years party at The Bag Fac. You took a chance on us and for that we are indebted, not only that but you guys are so genuinely lovely.

I still think back to that night the beginning of last year, me in a bar with a mate chatting nonsense — when I overheard a convo behind us about some petty music artist drama.

I butted in (obviously), and somehow that one nosy interruption changed everything. I would meet Will and Alyssa who became the face of Acid Rain, and later Connie who joined our mental team. I cannot express how much I love and adore you guys, you have changed my life in so many brilliant ways. They say never to go into business with your mates, but to me, you're family.

That’s how this all started — not with a plan, but with curiosity and chaos.

That’s The Bag Factory spirit right there.

This place has given us freedom to be weird, to fail, to try again, to create something that means something.

It’s a reminder that the best things in life come from the underground — from basements, from repurposed mills, from passion projects that somehow spiral into full blown communities.

The Bag Factory is alive. It’s growing, shifting, and mutating (like all the best things do).

It’s a living, breathing powerhouse thats fuelled by filthy basslines and belief.

And as much as it feels like magic, it’s also the result of everyone who’s come through those rattly metal shutters — every artist, DJ, raver, and dreamer who’s helped us build this world.