Nothing this good can stay secret forever, but if you’re still wondering what Secret Sub rosa is all about, or want to look back on some of your past interactions with the collective, then we’re delighted to welcome back our former reviewer Tessa Hughes, who has written this comprehensive history of the group to mark their tenth anniversary.
Folks around the area may have spotted the name Secret Sub Rosa floating around over the years, perhaps in conjunction with festivals or as stand-alone events. If you’re one who’s inclined to throw some rave shapes from time to time maybe you’ve gotten a taste of the full experience, or maybe that’s not your cup of tea, but you wonder all the same – what it’s all about? If you’re curious for the inside scoop on how this unique collective came to be and what they get up to, today is your lucky day!
Secret Sub Rosa formed from the local underground and free party scene, which really was the initial reasoning for the “secret” aspect of the whole thing. Organisers crossed paths at dance nights like the infamous Pukka while also carving their own niches in the scene via events such as Release, Sanctuary and Wired. Eventually it became clear that there was a shared ethos between the groups, so plans began forming to join forces and fuse into a larger creative collective.
Equipped with a myriad of artwork from previous events and a healthy mix of DJ’s from all groups, the Sub Rosa brand began taking shape, via a pair of free parties, in the summers of 2014 and 2015, and a Christmas bash at Raw nightclub in Whitby. Several of the DJs on the bill at these events remain stalwart residents to this day – Toby C, Lee James and Smokin J (also one of the main minds behind the whole project) never fail to deliver crowd pleasing sets. Within these events threads began to form of the kind of unusual and bespoke aspects Sub Rosa would become known for, such as the masquerade-themed party in 2015 which featured an invite printed on clear acetate, creating an air of mystery and intrigue.
The success and growing synergy of these two years led to the blossoming of bigger and more immersive ideas when it came to the decor side of things. As 2016 came around, the collective began to truly take shape, with artists who had previously created for the smaller groups being brought in alongside people who had been attending events and were keen to get more involved and get creative. Work began on the first immersive set, one which has gone by multiple names since inception, but hinges on the concept of oversized everyday items one might find around a raver’s back yard; the intent was making attendees feel like they’re in the midst of an Alice in Wonderland/Honey I Shrunk the Kids situation. This set, complete with a giant lighter and oversized Scrabble tiles, made its debut at the biggest secret party so far under the title “Through the Looking Glass”. Attendees were encouraged to lean towards Alice in Wonderland style costumes, which they fantastically delivered on and really completed the vibe of the event. The weekend was stacked with a large lineup of incredible DJ’s, and undoubtedly left the team involved and the people who came ready for more!
Seizing that energy and ready to show off to the public, the solidified collective secured a place at Willowman Festival near Pickering in 2017, running the dance tent. This gave the opportunity to fully deck out the tent with the aforementioned set, this time under the title “Land of the Giants”. The lineup was, as ever, soundly stocked with the many DJ’s on the roster and also featured an incredible set by Mike Freear of Slamboree fame, who were one of the main headliners that year. The setup was met with great approval from festival goers and from Freear himself, who was very much enthused with the vibe and keen to befriend the crew.
The success of this led straight into a return to Willowman the following year, and spurred the construction of a brand-new set, the concept behind this one being a spaceship that has crash landed on an alien planet. This was a whole level up in immersion, with an incredible spaceship stage piece and lots of new otherworldly flora to bring the audience into a new world, including the unique “tendrils”- visually enticing hanging decor which have since been a signature feature in multiple Sub Rosa setups and always delight the senses. Feature headliner for this year was Barry Ashworth of Dub Pistols, who kept the packed tent dancing alongside the sets of now resident DJ’s and always welcome newcomers.
With these festival gigs in the bag, the only logical next step was to bring it home and show off what could be done. The next instalment came in the form of bringing the “Lost in SubSpace” theme to Scarborough Spa, where attendees were treated to sterling sets from all the usual DJ’s, alongside a second room of funky house mashups headlined by local legend Eddie Scott. Once again this went down a treat and Sub Rosa’s momentum never stopped. Even during 2020 the team managed to pull forward and deliver some live stream DJ sets to keep the fans dancing over summer.
Sub Rosa came back ready to deliver as the world reset in 2021, collaborating with local videographers to create the Elevate project, a beautiful piece of media featuring DJ sets that built in intensity, all performed in well known locations along the Yorkshire Coast, and edited with stunning drone footage of the area. While this was in the making, the bulk of the team had their sights set on the production of an event set to take place at Vibe Scarborough in November. The Moongate; Dance Through the Light combined pieces of Sub Rosa’s ethereal decor alongside the installation piece known as “The Moongate”, which was created by several artists affiliated with Sub Rosa, and was initially conceived to be used as a recurring piece at Headland festival.
Another creative feature of this event were the mysterious Forge pieces created by Parker Props and Art, which have their own mythos and storyline that may return in the future. The Moongate gig brought in first appearances from Darch Dubs (Jake Darch of Evading Straights and Halflyng) and Scarborough’s answer to the energiser bunny, Kyle Rees, who had already collaborated on the Elevate project and was glad to appear in the flesh. The key surprise of that gig was the tease of a super-secret headline DJ that even the crew didn’t know the identity of – which turned out to be Slamboree’s Mike Freear back for more! Arriving in a mask and only revealing his identity at the start of his stonking set, Freear gave the people of Scarborough a right good shake up!
2022 gave Sub Rosa the chance to return to delivering a full weekend’s dance tent programming once again, this time at Headland Festival. Never wanting to do things by halves, the collective came in swinging with a whole new theme, “The Temple of Boom”. This featured a fresh stage set in the style of an Aztec temple, alongside various accoutrements to create the illusion of being deep in the jungle before the mighty structure. The lineup for this weekend featured even more goodies than ever before, as festival goers were treated to sets from various local hard-hitters such as Lucy “Trashbagged” Taylor and the return of Eddie Scott. Possibly most special, in many people’s eyes, was a reunion set from Scarborough pioneers The Squatters, which undoubtedly got many of the ex-Sessions goers out of the woodwork and raving away.
A return to Headland was on the card for 2023, this time in a reduced capacity to reflect the scaling back of the festival. There was no scaling back on the vibes though, as the team worked their magic overnight to bring in a little slice of wondrous decor that would come into its full reveal as the tent was plunged into UV depths on the Saturday night. This little takeover, with carefully selected DJs, was just enough to give those unfamiliar and familiar with Sub Rosa alike a taste of the magic and energy, to tide them over til bigger things the following year. Many claimed that they would need til next year to recover, after the closing set from Andy D!
Thus we arrive in the current year 2024, which has seen a classic Sub Rosa offering in the form of this year’s Sci Fi Scarborough after party, a spaced-out feast for the eyes featuring sets from familiar residents as well as a new appearance from Drum and Bass duo Halflyng that had the building shaking. Sub Rosa has always been up for trying different things, as seen in unusual performances featuring live instruments, vocals, and sometimes even a bit of poetry! Sub Rosa are now progressing into becoming a Community Interest Company, ready to branch out and deliver the arts and experience sides of the collective in a different way. The team delivered a community arts workshop this summer as part of the Scarborough Fair Arts fringe, creating paper roses to create a collaborative artwork, or which participants could take home. This was incredibly well received and gave great scope for what could be done in the future as SSR explores its new chapter as a CIC.
The Secret Sub Rosa collective do nothing by halves, and all of it is done through love and joy, and a genuine will to bring people an experience they’ll never forget. The connection and dedication of the members shines out through every event that they put on, and they will never stop dreaming big. This is as much a family as it is a collective (and I should know, I’m part of it). If all this is new to you and you’d like a taste of what you’ve been missing out on, many DJ sets are available on Mixcloud and pictures of past events can be found on Facebook, and soon on our brand new website.
The celebration of ten years in action culminates with an event at Scarborough Spa, and surely is one not to be missed!
