Get an insight into one of our fresh new promoters ‘$eamu$ Presents’, made up of  Tom Halliwell and Joseph Seamus Jordon : two childhood friends who started putting on parties in 2022 on the terrace at Yes in Manchester. Since then, they have become known for their bustling club nights celebrating variety, individuality and pure fun! They have become a household name within the Manchester music scene and given space to many local artists at their events, which fuse both live performance and DJs.

This year they will be bringing a truly eclectic sound with their programming of The Old Fire Station stage, showcasing some of the best in local DJ talent.

How did you start $eamu$ Presents?

JJ: Working at YES was definitely the catalyst. I’d been a manager there for a few months, seeing all these different promoters coming in (people like Now Wave, The Beauty Witch & Grey Lantern) and so I started to unintentionally pick up how everything operated. Seeing Madame Claude’s first gig in some tiny venue was quite a pivotal moment, they’ve got such a brilliant, unique sound I just knew I had to do whatever I could to get them onto a bigger stage – so that’s how the first gig came about. It didn’t take long for Tom to come onboard and open up the possibility of club nights.

TH: I always thought the terrace at YES was a perfect space for a summer day party. It was only ever a passing thought until I mentioned it to Joe after he’d put on a few gigs. The idea for the first DJ-oriented event came from these conversations and evolved into $eamu$ & Friends. Honestly I expected it to be one off event but we were both blown away with the reception it received. This became a more regular thing into the back-end of 2022 and we eventually started putting on club nights, with our most recent night, CA$ED, launching in January this year.

Describe your musical style and what you love in Manchester and beyond?

TH: It’s hard to place our style as we take so much inspiration from the eclectic scene around Manchester. Loosely you could categorise under house, breaks and electro but we’re always exploring different sounds and genres in each event. Our lineup for Sounds this year really is epitomising the musical diversity of the city that we love so much.

It’s rare there’s a weekend in Manchester where you’ll be unable to find something that appeals to you, whatever genres you’re into.

JJ: Honestly, we’re pretty big fans of most of the other promoters at this year’s Sounds – the SHEwillprovide lot have been absolutely killing it recently, so we’re excited to see what’s going on with their stage too. Outside the festival, there’s plenty of exciting club nights coming from the teams behind Kuta, Revamp, Simple Ingredients, Homegrown, Morsel, Nice One – and that’s only naming a few!

What does Sounds represent to you?

JJ: At the risk of sounding too kiss-arsey, I honestly think it’s the best festival in the world. It’s a perfect insight into all the bonkers stuff going on in the Manchester music scene, you could easily go without knowing a single act and still have an absolute blast. We both first went in 2018 it completely changed our view on how events can be run, and I think massively inspired how we operate as $eamu$ & Friends. Being asked to be part of this year’s festival is a massive milestone for us. Major highlight of last year was seeing Jeffo [Jeff O’Toole] then Half Pint at Fivefourstudios, we’re hoping to emulate that same energy at The Old Fire Station this year.

TH: I second this. It’s bonkers in the absolute best way. Within the first hour of the festival in 2018 we watched someone entering and carrying their taxidermied fox through the hurdles in a dog fancy dress obstacle course. How else would you wanna start your summer?

What song would you have as the $eamu$ & Friends theme tune?

TH: Millionaire – Kelis

JJ: Where’s My Head At – Basement Jaxx, 100 Gecs 

What would be your advice to people starting club nights?

TH: You’ve gotta full believe in and absolutely love the stuff you’re putting on, if you’re invested in the night it’ll definitely show. You also don’t have to have it all figured out straight away; ask questions, message DJs and other promoters for advice, people will help you out.

JJ: Try to go to as many club nights as you can; immerse yourself in scene, meet like minded folks, see what works, what doesn’t. Be prepared to lose a lot of money, time, energy and brain cells too. Tip the bar staff at whatever venue you put events on at, chances are they didn’t enjoy their night as much as you did. It’s a lot of hard work, but it’s so worth it when it all pays off.

What’s next after Sounds for you?

JJ: We’ve got plenty of exciting stuff in the works; there’s some more $eamu$ Presents events lined up at Old Abbey Taphouse, as well as some pretty big names from all around the world making appearances at CA$ED before years end. Hopefully plenty more gigs in and around all this too!

$eamu$ Presents will be programming The Old Fire Station, check out their lineup here!

By Rosabella Allen