This article was sponsored by Jägermeister as part of the #SAVETHENIGHT initiative

Many people, especially self-employed workers, were forced to leave the nightlife industry during Covid-19. Without financial support from the government, many found work in different sectors, choosing not to return once lockdowns began to lift over the world. Stuart Nurse, who runs an equipment hire firm in Newcastle, told Resident Advisor that the single biggest challenge for him currently is the scene's lack of resources. So many electronic venues do not have the requisite staff to operate, meaning Nurse's company, Amplify Hire, is struggling to facilitate the volume of requests it has coming in.

But nightlife cannot run smoothly, if at all, without those essential staff—the bartenders, the security team, the sound engineer, the person running the door, the person overseeing operations before the venue even opens. These roles, which require antisocial hours and often do not offer lucrative pay, are crucial to the electronic music infrastructure.

We spoke to seven people who are pivotal to actualising our nights in the club. From a lighting technician in New York City to a toilet attendant in Rotterdam and a club general manager in Mumbai, meet some of these unsung heroes.

Oneil D’Silva
General Manager, antiSOCIAL
Mumbai, India

What do you do?

I'm the general manager at antiSOCIAL. We run a nightclub that caters to independent artists–live bands and DJs across different genres. From jazz to fusion to techno and drum & bass. We do not do anything much in terms of commercial music, we'll stick to independent artists and underground music.

What does being a general manager involve?

My goal is to help operations run smoothly, to make sure that everything for the day is in order so that the show goes on. Right from the entry procedures to the bar sales and making sure the vibe is right. And that everyone's safe and enjoying themselves.

What is your biggest priority in your work?

It's so important for us to ensure that everyone's in a safe environment. We fortunately don't have many issues with that, but it's our biggest priority.

It's very important for everyone in our organisation–the bouncers, bartenders, waiters, managers, all the staff, to keep an eye out on what's happening and how people are moving around.

On a wider scale, if you look at nightlife across India, what do you think the biggest challenges are that nightclubs and nightlife are facing at the moment?

India used to cater to a very particular genre, but now Bombay and the country as a whole is listening to lots of new genres. We want to make sure we are keeping up with that, giving people new sounds and not the same artists playing over and over.

What is the most satisfying part of your job?

The best part is meeting new people. Seeing newcomers, when they enter the space, it's the greatest feeling when they see there is something like this for them in their city. People might have been in Bombay all their lives, and this is the first time they've been to a party like ours.

Dean D'Souza
Head of Operations, SOCIAL
Pune, India

Tell us about your work.

I am based out of Pune currently. I'm focused on food and beverage operations for a brand called antiSOCIAL. We do club nights, live shows, comedy, plays, pretty much everything.

My work involves making sure we have the right gear for the artists, coordinating dates if artists are playing in multiple cities, basically overseeing everything for the restaurant and the late-night venue.

What does a typical day look like?

Saturday is the busiest day of the week. We look at who's playing and how many tickets are sold, then we open the restaurant. Around 6 PM, we do the soundchecks. We have two rooms—one is SOCIAL and the other is antiSOCIAL. Two stages, one venue basically, catering to different audiences and different music. antiSOCIAL closes much later, too.

What are your biggest challenges?

Definitely the weather, which has not been favourable recently. Also the local authorities, when rules and regulations keep changing it’s difficult to keep your plan together. Apart from that, the biggest thing is wanting people to dance for longer, for three to five hours. That'd be really great for us, as well as having a great time of course.

Do you feel supported by the local authorities?

With the various departments we deal with, such as licensing and permissions, yes. One of the things I've noticed in the last 15 years of my career is that it is very city centric. Bombay for example is much more pro nightlife and the authorities are more understanding. That said, it is still a consistent challenge.

Is nightlife in Bombay different compared to the rest of the country?

Bombay has a different pulse altogether. Clubs can be full on a Monday night, of people that know the artist, know the tracks, know the albums, much more than in other cities.

What do you think are the biggest challenges that the nighttime industries come up against in Bombay, or across the country?

Meeting with local authorities and dealing with permissions is the biggest challenge. I think every promoter, artist, manager, venue would agree. Saying that, I think post Covid-19 we do have a booming electronic music market, which was pretty niche before the pandemic. Now it's booming with multiple genres.

As a brand, with antiSOCIAL we want to educate people and show them new music, good production, good sound systems, give them a good experience from the time they arrive to the time they leave.

What do you love the most about what you do?

When I see the artists having a good time at the same time as I see the crowd having a very fucking good time. Lots of people can't believe that such a night can be done in this country. This is what my life has been for the last decade, it's amazing.

Ariel Figueroa
Lighting Technician
New York, United States

What does your job entail?

When the DJ is playing music, I do a lighting show for that particular song. I'm like a performer, my tool is the console and I have programmes for specific instruments.

How did you first get into it?

When I first started going out in 1978, in the disco era, I used to go to a club called Inferno. Kenny Carpenter was the lighting guy there. I was blown away by the loud, clear sound and the lighting. Back then lighting was very different, just pin spots, par cans, maybe some videos on the wall. But they knew how to bounce back and forth with the music with the little that they had. It was so inspiring to me.

Do promoters ever give you a brief?

Sometimes the promoter or artist will tell you, for example, they want red and blue. It messes me up, because I could do so much with so many colours. It makes me feel like my hand is behind my back, if I can't follow my instinct when the energy of the records is building to a peak.

On that note, what is the hardest thing about the work that you do?

Lighting wise, I would say, sometimes the music. I'm not into all the music that's out there, sometimes I have to force myself to work. I need to be free like a bird, you've got to let me fly!

Clubs could spend thousands of dollars on equipment and have an expensive board, but at the end of the day it's not the equipment, it's the operator that makes it happen.

Are there any logistical challenges that you come across?

Other than people telling me what colours they want? I would say no, because I deal with it. I've been doing this for so many years, you have to make the best of it and you have to do it professionally. And have a smile.

What do you think are the biggest challenges that club culture and nightclubs are facing?

Manhattan used to be the mecca for the club scene. Now it's Brooklyn, because as soon as you put these high rises in where there's a club next door, that club is done. Clubs in New York don't really last that long. To me, the life expectancy of a club is three, four years tops. I mean, it all depends on the police and how they work with the owners. Clubs need to try and work with the community. This question could go in so many directions, really. But I've seen what happens when there's clubs and loud music and people complaining.

What do you love the most about your job?

When the DJ is on point and throwing that energy out into the crowd, and I'm with them feeling-wise, it's like the DJ and I become one. They're banging it, I'm banging it, the crowd's going crazy, screaming, that's when time goes so fast. It's a beautiful thing. Those moments don't happen that often, but that's the greatest thing for me.

Asia James
Atmosphere Designer and Door Warden
Berlin, Germany

Tell us about your work.

I've been doing door work since I was 16. Mostly it's selection-based, but I have done some security work too. At the moment I'm working the door at almost every underground, queer and techno party in Berlin.

How would you describe a typical night?

I have to make sure I'm dressed comfortably for who I am. Then I arrive nice and early to be introduced, if it's a new door for instance, to meet my colleagues. Most of the time, for me, it's a very white cisgender atmosphere that I work in, so it's good to really make myself present, know who I'm working with. I'll also get briefed by the promoter, finding out what they want from the party, that's an integral component, because each party is different. Once that's sorted, then we get started.

A lot of Berlin promoters focus on making the party part of the community, which I have been part of for many years. So I know how to deal with people, the language. The problem is, many door people and security teams haven't got the perfect language to talk with our community. So it's good to have that in between.

What is the biggest challenge you face in your work?

Being taken seriously or being supported by the security team. For me, the challenge is whether my team is here for me. I find that can be a thing that can affect my emotions, affect the club's emotions, can affect the people who are coming into the club.

There are some people I work in harmony with. There are several teams in Berlin who are on the game. They know about what's happening in our community, they know what's happening in the club scene, they're educated and they know how to go about it.

The other week I worked on the door with a new team. They said the interesting thing about working with me was that I don't need to have all this heavy, masculine energy around me—not that I want it anyway. I'm a trans woman and I'm not interested in that, but I can really get my point across without any arguments. I've got this way of having a conversation that prevents it from escalating. That's one of the reasons why a lot of people are interested in hiring me, because I can be bolshy and cheeky, but I also get the job done.

On a wider scale, what would you say are the biggest challenges that you think nightlife faces?

There's a lot of different challenges. One of the main things for me is education internally. Not just with gender, race, culture, but also what is happening in that space, whether we're talking about drugs or alcohol. I feel like a lot of people working within clubs are not educated enough on how to deal with the people that are coming into their spaces, and how to best to communicate with them.

Also financially, the pay that people get to work these unsociable hours can be disgraceful. That's a big issue for me.

Another thing I used to have an issue with but which I think is changing, is that lots of people are really focusing on booking local talent now and giving local artists those opportunities, rather than flying DJs across the world for a one-off show.

What is the most validating part of the work that you do?

I love seeing people having a great time, and seeing the smiles on their faces. It's just beautiful. Within our community, what is happening outside to us and how we are treated on the streets, it's not always such a beautiful day in our lives. So to go and be inside these spaces can be like a dream world. It's an amazing feeling to just be surrounded by like-minded people. It's not just about getting wasted, it goes so much deeper than that.

Chanti Nkusu
Head of PP Support, PXSSY Palace
London, United Kingdom

What does your role involve?

I manage the PP support team, which is an internal team that bridges the gap between partygoers and security. If someone isn't feeling good, if somebody's harassing them, if they're feeling uncomfortable for whatever reason, they can come to us. We also make our presence known in the venue, so people know that they can come up to us.

What does a typical day and night look like for you?

I usually prepare before the date of the party, arranging who's going to be working that night and what time everyone's coming in. Ahead of time we also see if anyone has got in contact to utilise our taxi fund, which is to contribute to the travel expenses of our BIPOC trans and disabled guests.

On the night, we have a briefing meeting at the club with pretty much everyone present in the building: our team, security, bar staff. We introduce ourselves, the role that we have and talk about how we want the club night to run and how to achieve that smoothly. Normally, my team will be distributed around the venue so that there's access to us wherever someone is in the venue. We also have a team WhatsApp group so that if anybody needs support, we can communicate that quickly.

What are the biggest challenges that you come up against?

One of the challenges for us is moving venues and forming a team that works well together. It can be hard, starting work with a whole new team. We're very lucky at Colour Factory, they're very easy to work with and we're all on the same page.

What would you perceive to be the biggest challenges that nightclubs or nightlife people working in nightlife are facing?

During Covid-19 a lot of venues closed because they couldn't survive financially. As a result of that, there are fewer venues available for us to use. Money wasn't pumped into nightlife to sustain it, so now the pond is smaller.

Is there anything that you would like to see change about the way people perceive your role?

People think it's a good thing, because it makes them feel safer. It can be intimidating to approach a bouncer. Everybody seems to be really glad PP Support exists.

Finally, what is the best part of your job?

I like being able to contribute to making people feel more comfortable and to be able to enjoy themselves. I find it really rewarding. There's something really nice about stepping back to see people being free and having a good time.

Stuart Nurse
Managing Director, Amplify Hire
Newcastle, United Kingdom

What do you do?

I own a production company which specialises in DJ equipment, audio and lighting. Over the years we've gone from doing small club events and private parties through to now being involved with festivals.

What does a typical day and night look for you at work?

During the day we take in new orders via email. It could be something as simple as two CDJs and a mixer going out for a tech rider at a club, or it could be a full event for someone where we do stage management, all the DJ equipment and lighting.

Once the job is prepped, our team will take it down to the venue and set it up. On the night, if it's a big event, we'll have a technician at the venue for the duration, whose job is to make sure there's no technical issues during the event.

What are the biggest challenges that the company faces day-to-day?

The biggest thing we're facing currently is a lack of people. We're a small company and we're really struggling to facilitate the number of jobs coming in. We're seeing such high demand because people are desperate because they might not have a lighting technician, sound engineer or even general setup crew.

I'm on a big push to try and work with people in the Northeast to start a grassroots training programme. These are such vital roles within the industry, which are often overlooked and without these people, a lot of events are struggling to even go ahead

What do you think are the biggest challenges for nightlife and nightclubs on a wider scale?

Number one is energy prices. Every single venue that I speak to says that if something isn't done, then they're really going to struggle. The second is the understaffing across all areas. Not just within my job, but also getting staff for the bar, security, engineers.There seems to be less people in the industry across the board.

What is the most validating part of working in nightlife for you?

It's when the doors open and you see the customers enjoying themselves. It gives you that validation that all the work behind the scenes from everybody is worthwhile, because we're delivering something that's having a positive impact on someone else's life.

Conny Verschoor
De nachtmoeder van Rotterdam ("The nightmother of Rotterdam"),
Perron Rotterdam, Netherlands

What does your role entail?

I am the regular restroom lady at Perron in Rotterdam. I started at Perron over 11 years ago when it opened first as a temporary spot. Besides being the toilet lady, I am also the hostess—I'm like a jack of all trades.

What does a normal shift look like?

I only work nights at Perron and I do other work during the day. This is the busiest I've ever been! As a self-employed person, I started doing other things to keep my head above water during the pandemic.

When I arrive at Perron, as it's an old building, I go and check everything's working. Then I go and prepare my spot, set up the sweets and other things, chat with colleagues. Then the doors open and the visitors come in, so I'm checking the toilets, chatting with the visitors, solving problems. My role is a lot more than just cleaning the toilets. You are a bit of a plumber as well as a social worker, but mainly I have a lot of fun.

What are, in your opinion, the biggest challenges for nightclubs or nightlife at the moment?

What I find to be one of the challenges now is getting back the togetherness and the atmosphere that we had before Covid-19. That starts with the staff, it is nice for a club to have permanent staff. For visitors, it's also nice to see regular faces. What I also find challenging is that we have lots of international guests who are used to different things and so behave differently. Additionally, young people who have just turned 18 and are finding their way. It was always a family atmosphere at Perron, because of the challenges due to Covid we are working to rebuild that. It seems that everyone is looking to find their way in the nightlife scene again.

What is the best part of your work in nightlife?

The trust I get from people, there are quite a few people who confide in me. I've even had nice friendships develop. I was invited to a wedding last year by people who I met here at Perron.

You also experience very funny things, like years ago I made a little smiley face on a visitor's arm as a sign that he had paid for the toilets. He told me he wanted something more special so I said I would add something every time he came to the toilets. Eventually he had a whole flower on his arm! I saw him a week later and it turned out that after going out that night he had gone straight to a tattoo shop and had my drawing tattooed on his arm. So he has my drawing on his arm for the rest of his life. You don't experience that when you are behind the cash register.

Oneil D’Silva General Manager, antiSOCIAL Mumbai, India

Dean D'Souza Head of Operations, SOCIAL Pune, India

Ariel Figueroa Lighting Technician New York, United States

Asia James Atmosphere Designer and Door Warden Berlin, Germany

Chanti Nkusu Head of PP Support, PXSSY Palace London, United Kingdom

Stuart Nurse Managing Director, Amplify Hire Newcastle, United Kingdom