There’s been a huge buzz around new clubbing destination and events space FØRGE warehouse since we announced its upcoming arrival last month, so we stuck our dancing pants on and headed down to find out if it lived up to the hype on opening night…
Just a stone’s throw from the heart of Sheffield city-centre, set amongst a backdrop of the city’s industrial heritage, the FØRGE warehouse finally flung its doors open to an eager crowd of techno fans on Friday 16th September.
The former Victorian steel forge on Effingham Road has been transformed into one of the largest event spaces in the city and its opening night line-up showcased the owner’s lofty ambitions, boasting a stellar line-up of techno DJs including Boxia, IMOGEN and Dax J.
With temperatures dropping, we made our way down to the venue from the direction of Hyde Park just after midnight. As we approached, the unmistakable incessant low thud of 4/4 beats swept up over the brow of the hill, spilling out of the venue’s corrugated roof.
It’s fair to say, that as a sober, *coughs* mid-thirties *coughs* parent, my nights out until 5am are limited, and dancing is usually reserved for the occasional house party, spinning on a wooden floor to a Nile Rogers bass line or whatever else is blaring out of a tinny speaker set. In short: I’m old. But, as Boxia’s set burst out from the venue, it was hard not to get excited for what was in store.
That excitement wasn’t misplaced either – FØRGE is a class act of a venue. The first thing we notice is the inclusive atmosphere (I was by no means the oldest) full of excitement and positivity, and it stayed that way right the way through until 5 in the morning.
On arrival, after briefly chatting to one of the venue’s owners, who looked genuinely overwhelmed that so many people had turned out, we took ourselves on a tour of the grounds. First stop was the main room. To be perfectly honest, calling it a ‘room’ rather undersells it, and it’s difficult to overemphasise the impact the sheer scale of the place has on you as you walk in.
Entering through the main double doors on to what was an already heaving dancefloor, the shock of space is only outdone by the monster soundsystem that does its best to blast the walls down.
FØRGE has worked closely with Pioneer to create the FØRGE soundsystem, utilising their earth-shattering XY series cabinets and subs. No expense has been spared on the sound, creating the perfect conditions for some high-octane techno doings that fair kicked your head in!
It would also be remiss not to mention the lighting. The steel columns, tracks and architecture of the building, once used for cranes, have been mapped with an incredible LED system that shoots around the space giddily. They’ve also got a very enthusiastic smoke machine that, in the spirit of new venue excitement, we felt overdid it a bit early on, plunging the dancefloor into an inescapable plume of smoke. Thankfully, this abated after one particularly foggy blast!
After grabbing a drink and taking all that lot in, we set off back out into the courtyard, past the smoking punters who were catching up on the ample benches of THE YARD, and headed towards THE WORKROOM. This smaller space is a former stable and workshop, which is now reserved for talented local DJs to cut their teeth, and thanks to its cosier setting is a much sweatier affair!
We spend much of the evening zig-zagging between the two rooms and dancing hard to heart-racing sets from Boxia, rising star IMOGEN and, finally, London-born DJ and producer Dax J.
5am comes in the blink of an eye and we shuffle out into the early morning, legs sore, ears ringing, and more than satisfied! If this is just the start of things to come from a welcome newcomer to Sheffield’s nightlife scene, we can’t wait for some big nights in here!
For full listings head over to @forge.sheffield
