One of Sheffield’s most respected clubs Hope Works is set to close in February 2025.
Founder, creative director and resident DJ Liam O’Shea (aka Lo Shea) took to Instagram on the 16th of December to announce the news, stating the “very difficult” decision had been made, in order to devote more time to his family and the growing No Bounds Festival, an experimental music and arts event which takes place across various venues in Sheffield and Rotherham, as well as dedicating time to support people in the South Yorkshire area to progress their music careers.
"For me to continue [to] expand my work into new areas and have time for my family, which is so important to me, something needed to change," O'Shea shared. "[Hope Works] has been my passion, an act of determined resilience to create something in Sheffield like no other," O'Shea shared. "As well as being championed for its unique, friendly atmosphere, programming style and joyously irreverent expression of the spirit of Rave, I've been told by so many people how Hope Works was the soundtrack to their university years or it introduced them to REAL rave culture."
The Sussex Road club was founded in 2012 and has since seen an array of artists lay it down in the former WW1 gun barrel factory, such as Dax J, Helena Hauff, Bicep, Ben Sims, Midland and hundreds more. Hope Works also played home to residency for artists such as Sherelle, Batu, Tim Reaper, I. Jordan and others. With a capacity of 400, Hope Works has always been the ideal, perfect space for the more intimate, up close and personal parties.
Before the palisade gates close for the last time, there will be events held until the final party on the 22nd of February, including Off Me Nut’s 15th birthday party on 31st January, 23 Degrees on the 1st February, La Rumba x Dub Shack on the 8th, Boiler Room Hard Dance on 14th and the final two closing parties on the 21st and 22nd of February. No Bounds and Hope Works have also collaborated with Electronic Music Club and Pattern & Push to create a week-long series of free electronic music workshops inside of Hope Works, led by a team of artists and industry professionals from 27th to 31st January 2025 for young people aged 14-25.
As reported by the Nighttime Industries Association (NTIA), Yorkshire has become the biggest victim of club closures within the UK, with venue numbers going down from 132 to only 73, experiencing a 45% reduction. Between June 2020 and June 2024, the UK has lost 480 clubs, with 65 closing in 2024, reflecting a crisis in the UK’s nighttime cultural economy. Last March, the NTIA claimed that the previous UK government was “intentionally” closing down nightclubs and venues across the country, as it saw the nightlife sector as “a burden on policing and local government”.
Hope Works was where I had my first proper taste of a real raving experience (Ross FromFriends September 2018), and it has since then been the home to some of my favourite events I have attended. It’s a place where I have made unforgettable memories and built lifelong friendships. It is the place where I truly fell in love with dance music and raving, and I can honestly say without this place I wouldn’t be as invested in dance and nightlife culture as much as I am, having dedicated several years now of my own life to music journalism and blogging. It became a workplace for me when I started writing for Tribal Warehouse, having hosted the majority of our events there. Most of my epiphanic moments on dancefloors have all occurred under its roof. The Red Stripe, ecstasy-fueled nights, and peeling myself up off of the famous sofas of the back of the club is what I will treasure.
I owe so much to Hope Works, and whatever the fate is to be of the club, I really pray that this isn’t goodbye, just a see you later. And for the love of God, the rave, or whatever you believe in, please support your local grassroots venues and artists.
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