Gamechanger is a term that gets thrown around fairly regularly these days, but in the case of Claud Cunningham and Paula Gannon-Lewis, there’s little debate as to whether this is a fitting sentiment.
If their names sound familiar, that’s because they were the two women behind Black Angel, a pioneering club night that shook up Manchester’s gay scene when it burst onto the scene in the late 90s. As two black lesbians of Caribbean descent, neither Claud or Paula felt seen in Manchester’s Gay Village at the time, a reality that moved them to create a space that truly reflected their reality.
In essence, Black Angel gave birth to a new scene for queer people of colour in Manchester, and beyond. Hopping between back rooms and bars in the village, to regular gigs at the Green Room on Whitworth Street, and later revivals at Contact theatre, it has created an enduring legacy for Manchester - one that will be celebrated this Saturday as part of a 25th anniversary event.
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A quarter of a decade after the birth of Manchester’s black and Asian LGBTQ+ club scene, the club night returns to Contact with DJ sets from Claud, as well as Mix-Stress and Stacey Bee - a necessary celebration of this essential safe space, which its founders hope will be a ‘truly diverse night for women, friends and allies’.
“It was more than a club night, it inspired others to follow suit and created an enduring legacy of black pride,” explains Claud Cunningham, speaking on the phone ahead of this weekend’s celebration. “25 years ago there were very few places for people of colour.
“As queer lesbians of colour, we didn't feel welcome in the village or identify with what already existed, that’s why we started it. We made sure everyone felt welcome, especially those who came on their own.
“Back then, there were a lot of people who identify as trans coming to our club night because they felt safe. We have always been welcome to everyone - it’s about people being able to express themselves.
“We did that right from the start, and people who helped out were really warm. If people didn’t respect what we were doing they were rejected straight away."
At its zenith, Black Angel spread its wings as far as London and Leeds, attracting an even broader audience of clubbers. It became a regular fixture of Leeds Pride and made its London Pride debut in 2000. Later, it produced the world’s first calendar aimed at LBT women of colour - it was definitely changing the game, and the landscape.
“When it started, we were quite young so we just sort of ran with it. It was certainly challenging and a lot of work went into it behind the scenes.
“There was also some prejudice and racism within that scene that had to be dealt with. Whatever was happening on the outside we just focused on the positives happening inside though.”
For some that came down, it was the only event they attended, having given up on the traditional gay scene due its predominately, white-male make up and dominance. Claud says that women from all backgrounds and religions would take huge risks to be there, some taking on hidden identities and changing their outfits into streetwear in the club toilets.
Nowhere else on Manchester’s gay scene would you hear Destiny’s Child, Lauryn Hill and Faith Evans alongside Bhangra tracks. “In terms of dancing my musical taste is eclectic, but at the time, there were no nights showcasing hip hop or R&B - we were the first to that.
“It was also showing people that those musical choices didn’t mean there was going to be trouble. It was just about creating a space where women could feel safe and represented.”
This Saturday’s event, Claud hopes, is a chance to recreate that magic, and relight the torch. “We want to show people what the atmosphere was like back then, but it’s also a reunion as well, for the women who used to go and the people who want to come along and experience what it was like.
“It’s about feeling free to be who you are. As long as people respect what it’s about then they can come along. It’s also just great fun, dancing until the early hours.”
Part of Contact’s Black History Month celebrations, the club night’s revival will also inform part of Black Angel’s documentary project, which will premier next year. “The reason we're celebrating is to raise funds for our upcoming documentary about the club night.
“It’s a celebration because there have been very few docs about queer women of colour to date - I know of very few that have explored the topic. The documentary is to make sure our voices are heard.”
Footage from Saturday’s event will also be used for the documentary, which Claud will be submitting to be aired at major film festivals and streaming providers.
Black Angel was born out of the need to be seen, to hear the music both Claud and Paula want to get lost in, and to see people who looked like them on Manchester’s gay scene. 25 years on, things have changed, but as Claud says “a lot more could be done”.
Just as their game changing club night did all those years ago, their new documentary will seek to disrupt the status quo and provide a space for black queer women, and their allies, to be seen.
Black Angel is back for a special one-off event to celebrate 25 years of phenomenal clubbing for LBT women of colour and allies this weekend at Contact Theatre. Saturday October 8, Contact Theatre, Oxford Road, Manchester.
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