BODY TALK w/ The Niallist

For the last ISLINGTON MILL AND... podcast of 2025 I am joined by returning guest miqx of the Radical Faeries to discuss charity and community, and because the conversation went on for so long (and is so good!) I have decided to split it into two parts. Here is part 2, where we talk about charity and how it should work, both ideally and practically, including the Islington Mill Charity Board and its place within the larger Islington Mill community. 

For the last ISLINGTON MILL AND... podcast of 2025 I am joined by returning guest miqx of the Radical Faeries to discuss charity and community, and because the conversation went on for so long (and is so good!) I have decided to split it into two parts. Here is part 1, where we discuss creating and maintaining community, at Islington Mill and further afield, as well as miqx's long history of radical queer activism.  You can find out more about miqx's story on our previous podcast interview here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-isxg3-12b155b and part 2 of our recent conversation (focussing on charity) will be coming out tomorrow. Enjoy! 

For the October 2025 edition of the Islington Mill podcast, I am joined by the queer author Sam Jenks to talk about his just-published novel "Homoland" and his queer writing/publishing project dif that is best summed up by its slogan "misfit gay lit and other queer shit" You can visit the dif website at: bedif.org Other authors mentioned on this episode are: Jon Ransom Nuril Basri Andrea Lawlor Thomas Moore and you can find out more about Sam's novel "Homoland" here. 

After brewing at the Mill for many years, the peer-led learning community I.M.A.A. (ISLINGTON MILL ART ACADEMY) is now in full swing! For this month's edition of the podcast I am joined by I.M.A.A.'s Sam, Sophie and Russell to talk about what exactly this project entails, where/when it happens and how you, yes YOU dear listener, can get involved. This podcast is filled with lots of valuable information but if you'd like to know more, you can visit the I.M.A.A. Instagram page or go straight to the I.M.A.A. Linktree to see the handbook and the calendar and meet some of those involved. 

Thanks to Manchester Pride, August has been a very busy month, and so after a slight delay here is the August edition of Islington Mill And...!  The guests for this month's pod are the drag performers/musicians/Berlin club promoters THE DAMES and BLEACH. THE DAMES are a trans cabaret musical act made up of Nancy and Eve and BLEACH is Nancy's partner, a promoter, performer and a force of punk nature. The Dames were recently in residency at the Mill developing a show that was premiered at Feel Good Club over Pride, so I grabbed the opportunity to interview them all while they were in town.  However due to technical difficulties what you hear here is the third attempt at an interview, after two previous failed attempts. So I will admit that this interview is a bit more chaotic and less linear than my usual style, but you know what, that's actually pretty fitting for this lot! We still got to talk about queerness, music, politics, clubbing, life in Berlin and a whole lot more.  To find out more, and keep up with THE DAMES & BLEACH, visit the website https://bmerch.live/

For this month's episode The Niallist visits Studio 304 to speak to Art With Heart's RACHEL MOORHOUSE about the Salford-based multimedia arts company and their strong social engagement ethos, their various project in and around Salford and how to become a "producer" in the arts sector.  You can find out more about Art With Heart by visiting their website: artwithheart.org.uk

For the June edition of "ISLINGTON MILL And..." Niall is joined by photographer and multi-media artist SIMON BUCKLEY to discuss his Not Quite Light project, an ongoing photography series documenting Manchester's changing city scape over the last 10 years. This fascinating conversation also touches on history, geography, energy and how Simon has survived for almost four decades as a freelance artist, making it essential listening for anyone who works at Islington Mill (and even beyond!) You can view Simon's work at: https://notquitelight.com/salford/ and on the YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@NotQuiteLight

After a prolonged hiatus, we are back! As we find ourselves in a period of transition and reallignment (both globally and locally) I have invited onto the podcast long time meditator, qigong teacher and coach OSKAR MARCHOCK to talk about his upcoming six week course on "Grounding & Centering". At this time of heightened anxiety and insecurity all over the world, I believe a centering and grounding practice could be of benefit to many in the Islington Mill community and also many beyond! You can find out more about Oskar's practice at www.wanderingtaichi.co.uk and if you are interested in signing up to his course you can do so at: https://forms.gle/pP71gRkzzqsGXJ1W8

For this episode of ISLINGTON MILL And..., we meet the team behind DEAD AIR, the Mill's weekly livestream and queer music community project with DJs Niallist, Klitbait, Meatmarket and Year Of The Rat. Visit the DEAD AIR website for links to the Instagram and YouTube profiles, where you can watch live every Wednesday and check out previous sets and streams.  CONTENT WARNING: listener discretion is advised as the following podcast contains music that is TOTALLY BANGING. If you, or anyone you know, can't take the heat of these ABSOLUTE BELTERS, then you are strongly advised to remove yourself from the kitchen. Thanks!  The previous episodes of "ISLINGTON MILL And..." mentioned in this podcast are:  ISLINGTON MILL And... #12 : Studio 409 and ISLINGTON MILL And... #22 COLLYN MIZRAHI

In the follow up to this month's earlier podcast about the HomoMill project I speak to Rebecca Power who has been employed to run Islington Mill's club space, as well as reminiscing on BUMMER CAMP, the legendary queer summer party that has made its return to the Mill this Pride. Note: this episode was due to drop before Bummer Camp but my schedule has been crazy so I didn't get it up on time - but here it is! 

After a summer hiatus the Islington Mill community podcast is back!  This episode I speak to the Mill's Bill Campbell and HomoBloc's Sophie Bee & Rod Connolly about the "HomoMill" project that is going to be making use of Islington Mill's club space after the recent departure of the Partisan Collective. 

This month’s podcast is epic! At the behest of Tranuary’s Liv McCafferty, the microphone is being turned on (spoiler warning) me to give me a chance to talk about my history in ballroom/vogue culture in the run up to Manchester’s first Kiki Ball on June 15th, and my party CVNTY at Derby Brewery Arms this Friday (May 3rd). I hope this knowledge might be useful to any qtipoc listeners out there or anyone interested in learning (or learning more) about voguing and ballroom culture, and if you'd like to attend either of the events mentioned you can find the ticket links here: CVNTY and The Bee Kiki Ball       

In January of this year I sat down with the Scottish performance artist Daemon Clelland -aka Shrek666, then the current artist in residence at Islington Mill - to do an interview that was ostensibly about the Tranuary event (also previously covered on this podcast). But our chat quickly escalated into an epic interview about life as a queer person living in various cities including Manchester, London, Berlin and Daemon's hometown of Glasgow, where once upon a time I also used to live! You can find out more about Daemon/Shrek666 at: instagram.com/shrek666

In this month's episode, I speak to VENN SMYTH; queer synth pop singer/saxophonist, composer, performer and the current artist in resident at Islington Mill (you can find their music on Spotify and Bandcamp). Venn recently travelled to San Marino to audition for Eurovision and we had a great chat talking about what happened there, as well as the politics of Eurovision in general. This is a very fun episode, enjoy!  

This past Saturday saw the second annual instalment of the trans-centered festival TRANUARY at Manchester's Soup venue. I caught up with the festival's director & producer Liv McCafferty, as well as some of the performers and hosts of this year's event (Shanika Sunrise, DJ Luvable & Violet Blonde) to talk about what Tranuary means to them. 

After the unfortunate passing of Fi Barret in 2023 I have decided not to continue with my Liner Notes podcast (even though my Album Of The Month Club is still ongoing over on Spotify). Instead I have decided to start a new irregular podcast where I talk about my life, my music, my friends and all the good stuff that inspires me - welcome to...   NIALLISM! 

For this month's show I speak to Ames Pennington about their new film TOPS, which had it's Manchester debut at Islington Mill on Thurs Nov 30th, along with Oskar Marchock one of the subjects of the documentary. TOPS is a hilarious and touching look into the lives of four different people who have each had top surgery, with Ames asking "What is the top you were most looking forward to wearing after your surgery?" You can find out more about the film at: http://amypennington.co.uk

This Thursday Nov 30th sees Islington Mill hosting the International Day Of Consent with a series of events happening from 12 noon til 10:30pm. For this month's podcast I asked the even organiser Jenn Wilson to join me to talk about the events, including the launch of their new "consent compass". You can find more information at: https://idoconsent.org and also on Jenn's own site: https://irregular.org.uk but for now I'm very excited to publish this super interesting episode, I hope you enjoy it and can join us on Thursday! 

For part 3 of this ongoing series on the practice of "Upwording" I am joined by Rivca Rubin and Charles Lauder (who have appeared in the previous episodes) along with, for the first time, the artists Jenn Wilson and Mariana Renthel. We discuss the practice and the applications of Upwording and a general theme seemed to emerge around "consent". You can find out more about Upwording at linktr.ee/upwording 

For this month's podcast I am joined by guests Maedb and Natalie from SEXQUISITE, a sex worker-led, sex positive performance group/happening,  to talk about what it means to be "sex positive" along with a whole range of other sex work-related questions (including the new SWer + PoC-led event Riot Party). You can find Sexquisite on Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/sexquisite.events/ and Riot Party can be found here: https://www.instagram.com/riotpartyuk/

If you've been out clubbing in the Manchester/Salford area in the last few years, you may have seen (or heard of) The FUCKPIGS. In this month's episode of ISLINGTON MILL And... I meet the people behind this alt queer performance troupe to find out the who's, why's, where's and when's of the FUCKPIGS story - be sure to check out their Instagram too at https://www.instagram.com/fvckpigs/ oink oink!

For episode #13 of this podcast series, I am talking to Bill Campbell for the third time about the ongoing Modeling Queer Utopias project. This July, Bill is working with Manchester international Festival to do guided tours of Islington Mill where he also talks about his own history with this space and where he would like the future to go. I will let Bill do the explaining, but if you'd like to know more (or buy a ticket to the tour) you can get more info on Manchester international Festival's website. 

This "Liner Notes" podcast covers the release of my "Meditations: Metatron" album from 2011. METATRON was a musical alias which was heavily influenced by the dubstep label Skull Disco and released 3 EPs between 2009 and 2011 on the Little Rock Records and Black Lantern net labels. I talk about where I was at the time, who I was and where this music came from. 

Every month in the 2023 I, the Niallist, am uploading to all the major music streaming platforms a different album from my back catalogue. The 5th album “& His Incredible Dancing Machines” is a work of digital reggae heavily influenced by 70s dub and 80s dancehall and in the accompanying “Liner Notes” podcast I talk about those influences, how it got made, and who/where/what I was at the time of making it. 

In this episode of ISLINGTON MILL And... I give the potted history of Studio 409 where I record and produce this podcast and I talk to my studio partner Fay Arnold about where we see the studio going in the future, including the DEAD AIR live stream series we also produce (which you can check out at http://www.mixcloud.com/theNiallist) and the community building aspects of this space. 

For this month's ISLINGTON MILL And... episode I speak to the 4 directors of the SOUNDS FROM THE OTHER CITY festival about it's past, present and future. This year's festival is on Sunday April 30th - for more info visit soundsfromtheothercity.com

In the run up to this year's Sounds From The Other City festival I have asked FI BARRETT to take over Liner Notes for this special edition! My latest monthly release “HOT SH!T” is now on Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/album/1qI3lsPo2unCxGhes4dq5T) and you can catch both me and Fi at this year’s Sounds at Partisan/Islington Mill on Sunday April 30th for Fat Out/Bollox and Off With Their Heads - tickets are available at https://soundsfromtheothercity.com

Episode number 3 of the Liner Notes podcast series where I talk about the social and musical influences on each monthly album release for 2023. For "The Next Big Thing" I discuss the influence of Stereolab, Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin, David Bowie's "Low", The Beatles' "Blue Jay Way", The Beta Band (actually I forgot to mention them but they were a big influence on this release!) and more... 

Can you believe that we've got to ten episodes already?! TEN!  To mark this occasion I sat down with Nick Spalding who runs both LURID ULTRA HYBRID in Unit 2 of Regent's Estate, as well as the MIRAGE BAR (Mk 2) which can be seen on the ground floor of the main Mill building casting a lovely pink & purple glow into the dark streets outside. I wanted to get the story on both these wonderful and colourful venues, as well as the role played by the infamous Pat Butcher in establishing them. However, now Nick has gone public with this info we fear Pat may be taking a hit out on both himself and me. So tune in to get the full story before it's too late!  

Episode #2 where I talk about my first "proper" album release "And Out Of Nowhere--", who I was & where I was at the time (an angry young man living in Glasgow) and the influence of Sonic Youth, Jesus & Mary Chain, Suicide, Peaches, Franz Ferdinand and The Chateau arts space on the making of this album. 

Welcome to my new monthly podcast series ALBUM OF THE MONTH CLUB Liner Notes! Every month in 2023 I am uploading a different album from my 20+ year back catalogue of music production as THE NIALLIST to Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and all the major platforms via Distrokid. To accompany these album uploads I am going to record a podcast a month discussing each album in detail covering the music, the production, my influences and whatever the hell was going on in my life at the time... First up is the album "LO-FI GOLD" which was originally released in 2009 on Little Rock Records, but which was recorded on a 4-track minidisc recorder between 1999 and 2003 (ish). Heavily influenced by Beck (and a number of other artists I discuss in the podcast) you can hear the album on Spotify at: https://open.spotify.com/album/5KFPl13pjNLsuIO7YnELOh I'll be back with episode #2 nest month covering my album "AND OUT OF NOWHERE--" 

For this episode of "Islington Mill And..." we are taking a deep dive into the history of the band GNOD, with the band's co-founder, and one time resident of the Mill's Studio 409, Paddy Shine. Also along for the ride is the Mill's founder Bill Campbell, who also lived in Studio 409 before Paddy became resident, and then there's me, The Niallist, who now produces this monthly podcast from the very same studio #409. Keeping it in the family! GNOD have been synonymous with the Mill for over a decade and their experimental, uncategorisable sound almost perfectly represents Islington Mill in audio form. It's was great fun to get this band's history down in audio form and I hope you enjoy it too.  

This episode of "ISLINGTON MILL And..." is dedicated to The PARTISAN Collective, who have recently taken over the lease of the club space at Islington Mill and will be programming events in the space throughout 2023. In keeping with the ethos of the collective, which does not seek to speak with a singular voice, this episode is made up of half a dozen different interviews with Partisan staff and board members (the most we've ever featured on this show!) For more info on the collective visit partisan collective.co.uk Happy New Year!  

For this month's Islington Mill podcast, I am joined by guests Charles Lauder and Rivca Rubin to discuss their linguistic practice known as "Upwording" and talk about its practical applications both at Islington Mill and in the wider world. 

This weekend, the 28th-30th of October, will see a momentous occasion at Islington Mill: for the first time in five years the club/venue space will be open again to host live music and DJs! The amazing FAT OUT FEST returns to the Mill, and to celebrate I have put together a special edition of our monthly podcast with music selected by Fat Out's own Emma Thompson and interviews with Islington Mill's Al Wilson on the rebirth of the space and Off With Their Heads' Riv Burns on what to expect at this year's FAT OUT FEST and the state of grassroots, independent music in general in 2022.  

As things begin to change around Islington Mill (again!) I speak to artist and co-director RACHEL GOODYEAR about these changes, the upcoming "Last Friday" series of events designed to involve the local community, as well as the complex relationship between an artist and their studio.  

Ep#4 of “ISLINGTON MILL And…” is very special, and timed to coincide with last weekend’s Manchester Pride celebrations.   For this episode I have interviewed miqx, one of the founding member of the group the Radical Faeires in the UK (known here as the Albion Faeires) a group which grew out of the Gay Liberation Front in the 1970s. mixq has spent most of their life deeply involved in queer and community activism and this interview covers much of their incredible history. From growing up as a camp child in a mixed-race family in 1950s South Africa, coming of age on the London “gay” scene in the 1960s (a time when homosexuality was just becoming decriminalised), experiencing the Gay Liberation Front in the 1970s via America to their involvement in community activism in 1980s London, miqx has a fascinating - not to mention very informative - story. I am proud to share with our listeners this slice of very important queer history, coming directly from the voice of one of our elders, and do I hope to continue this interview with miqx as I know we have so much more to cover.  Happy Pride!  

For episode number three of ISLINGTON MILL And... I sat down with RIVCA RUBIN, one of the members of Islington Mill's creative board but the only one not to have a one-on-one interview on this channel. The topic for this month's show is "Upwording": a process of using language to dismantle the inherent power structures communicated (often unconsciously) through language. This is a fascinating subject, and we have agreed to do regular interviews on this subject in the future, but for now you can get your ears stuck in to this introduction to the topic. 

For episode #2 of "ISLINGTON MILL And..." I sat down with all four co-artistic directors of Islington Mill to further discuss the subject of episode #1, which was "MODELLING QUEER UPTOPIAS". I speak to Bill Campbell, Maurice Carlin, Rachel Goodyear and Rivca Rubin about this project, and the plans for both the space and the community in the coming months as the Mill enters a new phase of its existence. We also talk about the five pillars of this project and the five elements of what makes Islington Mill so special in the first place. This is my first time doing a multi-subject interview, and we have agreed to convene regularly over the next 12-24 months to  see how this project is progressing for the benefit of our community to hear. 

Welcome To the brand new monthly podcast series "ISLINGTON MILL And…"! After a great run of 10 episodes in the "ISLINGTON MILL IS QUEER" series, we have decided to expand the remit of our monthly Islington Mill-based podcast to cover more diverse topics such as art, philosophy and politics, and to act as a platform for the entire Mill community to engage in. For episode one #1 of this new expanded series I spoke to Islington Mill founder and co-owner BILL CAMPBELL about his current project MODELLING QUEER UPTOPIAS. Bill says: This set of podcasts coming over the next few months seeks to explore what the future of Islington Mill might look like as we come out of Covid and also our extended capital building process, which will complete phase 1 this summer followed by phase 2 in the Autumn. You may well know that this has been a long and arduous task of fundraising and then building works, neither of which I was experienced at and often felt like it was running counter or against our ‘grain’ as an artist led queer DIY project. So coming to the end of the build represents a significant moment of completion of the first phase of Islington Mills 20+ year history and the start of the next chapter. One without leaking roofs and pigeons hopefully. To hear more about this project and about the future of Islington Mill just click play, and stay tuned for episode 2 coming next month, where this conversation continues with the other members of Islington Mill’s board.    . 

And so endeth "Islington Mill Is Queer"! Episode number 10 will be the last episode in this series, and what better guests to end with than the Mill's own LGBTv, who produce queer-themed video content for streaming and broadcast all over the UK. From humble beginnings filming on the fifth floor to not one but two fully equipped broadcast-ready studios, I sat down with Dean and Adrian from the company to find out all about the past, the present and the future of LGBTv. 

Episode #9 of Islington Mill Is Queer features an interview with the visual artist RACHEL GOODYEAR. A stalwart of Islington Mill, Rachel has been showing her art in various parts of the building since 2000, and has been based in her current studio on the fourth floor since 2010. This is a broad-reaching and fascinating conversation that covers not just Rachel’s history with the Mill but also her role as a director of the organization and her current focus on the developing the community aspects of the space and how any space defines its own “community”… 

Episode number 8 in the ISLINGTON MILL IS QUEER series is one that is tinged with sadness. It wouldn't have been right to do another episode without paying tribute to LOUISE WOODCOCK aka Trish Dee, a long time supporter and close friend of the Mill who passed away in December 2021. This is in no way definitive - that will be for another time. But for now RIP Lou we will always love you xxx

For Episode #7 of the Islington Mill Is Queer podcast - a series documenting the queer history of Salford's renowned artistic & cultural institution - The Niallist is joined by two of the UK's best known and well loved drag queens: Cheddar Gorgeous and Liquorice Black. Since 2015, Cheddar and Liquorice have been involved in "The Drag Lab" within Islington Mill, a space for various drag performers to hone their craft and the original inspiration for the recent Channel 4 reality series "Drag SOS", not to mention being a huge and ongoing inspiration to the queer side of Islington Mill. Listen on to hear its history...

For episode #6 in the Islington Mill Is Queer podcast series, and as the follow up to our interview with Islington Mill's founder Bill Campbell, we talk to his partner the artist Maurice Carlin. This interview has been brewing for quite a while now and it is great to finally have Morry's side of the Mill's history and his take on where it can go moving forward...

Episode #5 of Islington Mill Is Queer is here, and it's a big one! After some feedback from listeners who have never been to Islington Mill, I thought it was important to sit down with BILL CAMPBELL who is the owner and founder of Islington Mill, to talk us through the history of how Islington Mill came to be, his vision for the future of the Mill, and to basically break down for us: what exactly IS Islington Mill? 

For episode number 4 of Islington Mill is Queer I have turned the microphone back on to myself and my partner JOE SPENCER to discuss our own history of involvement with Islington Mill over the last 10+ years. From our parties Vogue Brawl, Zombie Pride, Tranarchy and Bummer Camp w/ Christeene to our screening events like the 24 Hour John Waters Movie Marathon and The Day Today 20 Year Anniversary and our involvement in events like Sounds From the Other City, we talk about how the Mill has influenced us and how we have queered it. Some times you just have to write your history you self!  

For Ep#3 of Islington Mill Is Queer we are delighted to feature a true Greater Manchester cultural life pioneer! JAYNE COMPTON is well known for her various theatre/film/event production capacities (as well as being boss of the label switchflicker.co.uk and one of the founders of the legendary venue Kraak). What is less known perhaps, is her integral involvement in the early years of Islington Mill, and how she helped shape it into the queer haven that we know and love today. We are delighted to have this pioneer on the podcast shining a light on some of Manchester & Salford's hidden queer history! 

EMMA THOMPSON is the brains behind FAT OUT Productions, the organisers of FAT OUT FEST. From humble beginnings in Milton Keynes to a 2 year residency at Salford’s legendary Islington Mill venue/arts space, Fat Out has become one of the most successful independent music promoters in the UK. I sat down with Emma to talk about the success of FOF 2020 and what it means for the future, where the name “Fat Out” came from, and what it’s like to be fat, female, fabulous and, let’s face it, bloody successful. 

Welcome to the inaugural episode of ISLINGTON MILL IS QUEER, an interview series dedicated to documenting the history of one of the UK's most beloved arts institutions, Salford's Islington Mill, by shining a light on the queer individuals who have helped shape that history. For the first IMIQ interview, I spoke to RIV BURNS one of Manchester's most popular and successful events organizers/promoters, one of the brains behind Sounds Form The Other City, Independent Manchester Beer Convention, Off With Their Heads and more. Riv explains how she got her start in the industry through her involvement with Islington Mill's club and gig space back in the day...