From Margate With Love: Arts, Identity & Eclectic Beats at Wild Wood

Ahead of their Wild Wood Festival stage takeover we caught up with intersectional, community organisation Margate Arts Club.

Tucked away in the vibrant coastal town of Margate, the Margate Arts Club has been a beacon of DIY creativity, inclusivity, and sonic exploration since 2015. What began as a grassroots initiative has evolved into a beloved community hub, part audiophile haven, part psychedelic house party.

With a world-class sound system inspired by David Mancuso’s legendary Loft parties, the club champions an eclectic mix of global grooves, from afrobeat and Italo disco to experimental electronica and Balkan funk. But it’s more than just a dancefloor, it’s a space where art, identity, and open-mindedness converge, offering everything from life drawing classes to genre-bending DJ sets, all wrapped in a warm, welcoming atmosphere.

Our man Griff caught up with Luke from Margate Arts Club to talk all things arty, and Margate Arts Club past present and future.

Welcome Luke, firstly can you tell us about the creation of Margate Arts Club and how it all came about?

Thank you. thanks for having me.

I visited Margate as a child in the ’80s and ’90s, but I absolutely fell in love with it when I returned as an adult. The Margate Arts Club came about from the need for a safe, fun, welcoming space—something that was kind of missing from Margate at the time. There were lots of great little pubs, but nothing quite like what my friends and I were looking for.

A whole collective of people moved to Margate around 2013. We had been forced out of East London due to rising property prices, which made it no longer attainable to live as creatives. So, there was an exodus—and Margate became one of the destinations.

The Margate Arts Club is an intimate venue housed in a Victorian shop. It feels like a cross between a psychedelic speakeasy and your favourite eccentric auntie’s living room, but with a sonically pristine sound system at its heart. It’s a joyful, DIY, intersectional organisation and community space. It’s on the ground floor of where we live, so it’s basically in our house.

We originally started off by inviting friends and members of the community over for potluck dinners. Then we got a vintage JBL sound system and a pair of 1210s, and we’d play records during and after the food. Eventually, it would turn into a bit of a dance party. More and more people caught wind of it, popped in, and wanted to join our little dinners with parties. With every knock at the door, a new face would arrive.

The Margate Arts Club is very clear on its policies, is this something that has evolved as the community grew, or was this a very clear message from the beginning?

We’ve always had very clear guidelines. From the start, we had a code of conduct outlining what we stand for (anti-racism,  gender equality, Queer rights, trans-rights, left-wing values, good vibes). At the time, it was quite rare for a venue to have a code of conduct, but now it’s more common—and it’s amazing to see so many people taking welfare in nightlife seriously. We open our doors to everyone, but ultimately, at its core, the simplified version of our code is: be nice to everyone, respect each other, and don’t be a dick.

The club loves to bring on new DJ talent. Who in 2025 do you think we should be keeping an eye on?

Yes, we love supporting up-and-coming, grassroots DJs and collectives. It’s what excites us and keeps things fresh. We love experienced selectors too, but it can get a bit stale and predictable always booking big headline DJs. Don’t get me wrong—we love to sprinkle the pillars of the dance community into our programme, but we need to give the new blood a chance. As an industry, we need to nurture the new talent and the next wave of movements. Two of my favourite DJs at the moment are Shirley Ottou and Charlie Evaristo Boyce, along with collectives like Shedding Histories and Back To Ours. They all bring really interesting perspectives on dance music, with unexpected selections that make it an exciting journey. I love to spend a night dancing and not recognise a single track.

If you could have anyone perform at the venue, who would you go for?

We’re also lucky to have residents Katie Barber and Joe Lye, who host a regular party called Dance Dance Dance. Like all our events, it’s open to all ages and backgrounds—a true melting pot of the community. We’re eternally grateful for them bringing such a special party to the Arts Club—it’s one I love dancing at myself.

We’ve fortunate to have had some of my all-time favourite DJs play Margate Arts Club: Gilles Peterson, Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy, Nick The Record, Andy Hanley, Ashley Beedle, Marcia Carr… But if I could bring one DJ to the Arts Club—someone who I think would really enjoy it—it would be Theo Parrish. That would be a dream come true. If anyone out there wants to help make that happen, that would be a bucket list booking.

What’s been you most fantastical party to date?

We’ve had some pretty wild parties over the years—some I probably shouldn’t even talk about, ha ha! Some of the ones closest to my heart are our Queer-centred events like Cockles and Muscles (especially the Halloween parties they host), LesBeaux, and Father JC’s Hedonist Club. These are always wild in the best way—welcoming, fantastic costumes, lovely people, fun performances. It’s a great community, and I’m really happy we get to host them at the Arts Club.

I also really love our more off-centre and niche events. A Night for Weird Folk is a folk and Morris dancing night that blends old and new traditions into something completely different—Morris dancing, a ceilidh, hobby horses, costumes, live folk singing in the back rooms, tarot readings, craft workshops. It’s really special and heartwarming to see people of all ages and backgrounds come together to create something new.

The same goes for Hexed, Kent’s only regular goth night. It’s a wonderful sight to see 100+ goths descend en masse on the Arts Club. I’m so glad that Hexed provides a safe, inclusive, and welcoming space for the goth community in Kent. Very proud of those guys.

Has anyone ever compared the club to Pikes in Ibiza? It for us certainly has that sort of ethos.

It’s very kind of you to draw a parallel between us and Pikes. Pikes has been one of my favourite destinations over the years. I’ve had some formative experiences there and really love visiting.

We’ve also taken inspiration from small clubs in Berlin, New Orleans, and the DIY art and music-centred warehouse parties of Hackney Wick. Venues like the Total Refreshment Centre, Passing Clouds, Bethnal Green Working Men’s Club—and nights like Beauty and the Beat and Lucky Cloud—have all informed what we do at the Arts Club. I’m really thankful for the wealth of pioneers that have gone before us and the events I’ve attended over the years.

We weren’t aware of David Mancuso’s Loft when we first set up the Arts Club, but a few of his friends popped in and told us about the similarities. After doing some research, reading interviews, and watching documentaries, it was amazing to see how aligned we were. What a special guy David was—so glad we’re able to do something similar down by the seaside in Margate.

You are taking over the Vulva Voom at Wild Wood this year on the Friday…  what have you got installed for us all?

I’m super excited about taking over the Vulva Room for the evening shenanigans. I’m hoping to bring a little bit of the Arts Club vibe with us. I’m bringing five collectives we work with regularly: Dance Dance Dance, United Friendship Disco, Back To Ours, Shedding Histories, and LesBeaux.

Friday

Global grooves and spiritual psychedelia
United Friendship Disco: Robbie, Charlie & Gaëtan Gauthier (founder of Margate Black Pride).
Founder Robbie of United Freedom Collective—fresh off tour with Maribou State. Previous guests at United Friendship Disco have included Auntie Flo. Upcoming guests at Margate Arts Club include Awesome Tapes and Falle Nioke.

Saturday

No genre is off-limits—pulling from every direction for a truly eclectic, yet consistently danceable, sonic experiment.
Bringing together decades of record collecting and crate digging: Dance Dance Dance and Shedding Histories. Music for lovely people, played by lovely people.
Dance Dance Dance founders Katie & Joe’s guests have included Marcia Carr, Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy, Andi Hanley, Nick The Record, and John Gómez. DJ Nori & Luke Una are also on the horizon.
Shedding Histories have previously invited Donna Leake to play. Palo Santo Discos are coming up next with them.
Starting off Saturday: Shirley Ottou – a French-born music lover who curates intuitive musical journeys dyed with soul, love, and rhythm. Shirley recently opened for Gilles Peterson and is one of my favourite selectors.

Sunday

From acid-laced ambient to sleazy boogie, neon Italo, low-end disco, and hi-NRG synth.
Back To Ours has brought mega fun Queer-centred parties to the Margate Arts Club—expect Patrick Cowley-doused synth vibes. Michelle Manetti will be playing their next party with us.
Tying everything together: LesBeaux — a Queer-centred, weird, arty party night. They’re bringing a crew of dancers, costumes, and wild looks.

Have you been to Wild Wood before? who else are you looking forward to catching?

This will be my first time at Wild Wood and I’m super excited about it. There are so many friends and collaborators I’ve worked with over the years—or will be working with soon—who’ll be there. I’m looking forward to seeing them play and hanging out. It’s a great lineup this year.

I really love connecting with nature, and having a party in a forest feels totally up my street. It’s the direction I want to go more in life anyway—I love riding my bike out in nature, looking at birds, trees, and amphibians. So I’m really excited about the prospect of dancing in the woods with my mates.

What else have you got in the pipeline for the Margate Arts Club in 2025?

I’m thrilled to continue uplifting and supporting new DJs and grassroots collectives like the ones I’m bringing to the Vulva Room, as well as seasoned selectors like Luke Una, Logan Fisher, Palo Santo Discos, Lovefingers, Michelle Manetti, Awesome Tapes, Greg Benson, Justin Robertson, Trevor Fung… and a few more I can’t announce yet.

Thanks Luke. Hopefully we will catch you in the fields this summer!

Can’t wait to see you, dance around, and have a blast under the dull red lights and glistening disco ball. I feel very privileged to have been invited to share our family with the Wild Wood community.