ABOUT

Scared To Dance are independent club night, film screening and live music promoters founded by Paul Richards in 2009.

The club plays post-punk, indiepop, new wave and art rock music in London, Berlin, Glasgow and Brighton and we have monthly residencies at The Shacklewell Arms and The Victoria Dalston.

Those who have guest DJed at the club include Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, poet laureate Simon Armitage, comedians James Acaster, Rose Matafeo, Nish Kumar, Lolly Adefope, Elis James, Josie Long, Ivo Graham, Sophie Duker, Robin Ince, Olga Koch and Celya AB, former professional footballers Gaizka Mendieta and Pat Nevin, broadcasters Gideon Coe and Colin Murray and writers Jon Ronson, Simon Price and Pete Paphides.

Bands who have DJed include Franz Ferdinand, Belle and Sebastian, Dry Cleaning, John Grant, Porridge Radio, Public Service Broadcasting, Heartworms, Edwyn Collins, Warmduscher, Big Joanie, Pond, The Pastels, Superorganism, Gwenno, The Tubs, The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Laetitia Sadier, Penelope Isles, Veronica Falls, Mary in the Junkyard, Girl Ray, Teleman, bdrmm, Slow Club, The Goon Sax, Ducks Ltd., Let’s Wrestle, Whitelands, Ex-Vöid and more.

We host music-related film screenings with Picturehouse Cinemas across their UK cinemas. We invite guests to curate an evening featuring their choice of film or documentary preceded by a Q&A with the host Paul Richards.

Guests have included Manic Street Preachers’ Nicky Wire, Turner Prize-winning artist Jeremy Deller, Franz Ferdinand’s Alex Kapranos, Belle and Sebastian’s Stuart Murdoch, Blur, John Grant, the writer Jon Ronson and comedians Rose Matafeo, Nish Kumar, Elis James, Josie Long, Ivo Graham, Sophie Duker and Robin Ince. The current season includes screenings of Meet Me in the BathroomDance Craze, Pretty in Pink, Tommy, The Harder They Come, Empire Records, Stop Making Sense, blur: To The End, Wings of Desire, Be Pure – Be Vigilant – Behave, blur: Live at Wembley, In Restless Dreams: The Music of Paul Simon and Don’t Look Back.

The film night has also taken place at Glasgow Film Theatre and the independent arthouse Genesis Cinema with screenings of The Devil and Daniel Johnston, Ladies and Gentlemen… Mr. Leonard Cohen, Head, Mistaken For Strangers and God Help the Girl.

We promote gigs across London with the best new and established artists at venues such as Moth Club, The Lexington, Oslo Hackney, The Shacklewell Arms, The Victoria Dalston, The Mildmay Club, St Matthias Church, St Pancras Old Church, Sebright Arms, Bermondsey Social Club and The Ivy House.

Artists that have played at our shows include bdrmm, Allo Darlin’, Rozi Plain, The Wave Pictures, Whitelands, Peaness, Ex-Vöid, Laetitia Sadier, Sweet Baboo, The Tubs, Adwaith, The Surfing Magazines, Darren Hayman, The Spook School, Withered Hand, GHUM, Es, Stanley Brinks, CIEL, Tigercats and more.

We perform DJ sets at a variety of music festivals including Wide Awake Festival, South Facing Festival and Indietracks Festival. We have also worked with brands such as London Short Film Festival, Dr. Martens, The Totally Football Show, The Five Points Brewing Company and Signature Brew as well as DJing at events in New York, Oslo, Bergen, Edinburgh and Dublin.

We have also promoted book events, released monthly new music podcasts and have published several fanzines. We have been featured in The Times, The Guardian, NME, ELLE, VICE, Time Out, DIY, Evening Standard, The Athletic and many more publications.