Since its debut back in February, CINC has quickly grown into one of the most talked about club nights in Cardiff. With its booming socials and variety of talented DJs, CINC has speedily made a name for itself within Cardiff’s queer community. Darcy Servais spoke to the night’s two founders, Finley Carson and Ren Faulkner.
Starting as just an idea between two friends – Finley Carson and Ren Faulkner – CINC quickly materialised and, after four parties to date, is shaping up to be a must-go event across the queer community. Amongst a plethora of fetish-wear and hardcore techno sets, and a focus on freedom and expression, CINC is a party that you do not want to miss.
Their most recent event, CINC XXL on Fri 14 July, exceeded all expectations as the biggest party they’d thrown to date. Spread across two floors at Clwb Ifor Bach, over 300 people joined and partied in an ocean of chains, latex, and overall fantastic vibes.
Kicking off the night, four queer local DJs were invited to showcase their talent and start the night with a bang. Refreshingly, partygoers caught these early sets in fine number. Finley says, “It’s really important to us that we make use of our ability to give opportunities to up-and-coming queer DJs, and also want them to do so in a safe and welcoming environment.”
Following the showcase, returning CINC DJ Gammonslag (aka Panic Shack bassist Emily Smith) returned to the stage to bless the crowd with a mixture of techno, donk and fast-paced hyperpop which set the bar high for the rest of the night. Keeping with the energy, Bristol’s TFNE.SK followed with a funky mix of jungle beats meets electronic techno that even got the security moving. Ending the party was every CINC-goer’s favourite resident BbyGoose, who never fails to get keep the party alive until the lights come on. Blending trance with energetic tracks from the likes of COBRAH and Juicy Romance, it was a delight to dance to from start to end.
On Clwb Ifor Bach’s ground floor, Bristolian DJ collective SOZLAD lived up to the takeover as ravers joined to bass-face together in hardcore hell. Molly Rush took us on a roller-coaster of hardcore techno bootlegs from Linkin Park to Spice Girls; Nymfro had us entering a different dimension, heavy basslines combined with vocal samples from reggae and hip-hop making for a nostalgic jungle feast; and following shortly after was DJ.GIRLDICK, who kept it loud and chaotic via high-tempo nightcore and donk. CUTMESUM.FLAC rounded the night off with hardcore mixes that made you feel as if your head was on backwards.
Drag artists Annibenand Jorddropper danced alongside DJs, and the crowd was treated to a live performance art piece created by graduate Bella McCauley, whose photography was also used to decorate the walls and stage of Clwb’s top floor. Taken from her series FLUID, Bella and her partner Arthur depicted a dominant and submissive dynamic onstage that captivated its audience and stayed true to the theme of CINC. “We used Bella’s art,” Finley says, “because the meaning behind her performance and photography reflects the same subjects that we want to bring forth in our events – which is to essentially normalise queer sexuality.”
Suffice to say that CINC’s two founders couldn’t be happier with the continuous growth and scale of their event. “I remember when I moved to Cardiff and CINC was just an idea that both me and Ren had loosely spoken about,” Finley says. “To see the scale of it compared to when we started just five months ago is crazy, but it’s incredible to know that our event was created by queers, for the queer community.”
Ren adds, “We didn’t expect it to grow as quickly as it did, but we also wouldn’t be here without the continuous support from our community. We love putting on the parties for you all and hope to keep on doing so in the future!”
Partygoers were eager to take to Instagram and share their highlights of an unforgettable night, with showcase DJ Mini writing, “Never felt so safe and free to express myself at an event. Was a pleasure to be a part of the night and meet so many talented individuals.” Another CINC attendee told me, “It’s great to have this kind of alternative queer space in Cardiff so that we don’t need to travel to bigger cities to experience something like this.”
Additional to CINC’s commitment to the queer community, praise has been given to the event organisers regarding their dedication to the welfare and safety of every individual. Strict welfare policies and guidelines are posted prior to each event, instructing ‘party rules’ that each guest must follow. CINC also stress the importance of consensual photography and has a zero-tolerance policy on any form of bigotry to assure a safe night for all. Inclusivity is at the forefront of the event as all toilets are gender-neutral, and members of the welfare team are scattered about each floor to help if needed.
Prior to the XXL event, CINC hosted a giveaway giving its entrants the opportunity to win tickets: to enter, followers were provided with website links to encourage donations for local gender-affirming surgeries, with every donation counting as an entry to the giveaway. In their giveaway post, CINC stated, “It’s really quite special that we have been able to build this platform and it’s down to the support of all of you that we are able to keep putting on CINC parties. We want to do all we can to give back to you to show our gratitude.”
Find CINC on Instagram here.
words DARCY SERVAIS photos HANNAH NICOLSON-TOTTLE
