'It created an enduring legacy of black pride' - the club night that changed the face of Manchester's gay scene

Gamechanger is a term that gets thrown around fairly regularly these days, but in the case of Claud Cunningham and Paula Gannon-Lewis, there’s little debate as to whether this is a fitting sentiment.

If their names sound familiar, that’s because they were the two women behind Black Angel, a pioneering club night that shook up Manchester’s gay scene when it burst onto the scene in the late 90s. As two black lesbians of Caribbean descent, neither Claud or Paula felt seen in Manchester’s Gay Village at the time, a reality that moved them to create a space that truly reflected their reality.

In essence, Black Angel gave birth to a new scene for queer people of colour in Manchester, and beyond. Hopping between back rooms and bars in the village, to regular gigs at the Green Room on Whitworth Street, and later revivals at Contact theatre, it has created an enduring legacy for Manchester - one that will be celebrated this Saturday as part of a 25th anniversary event.

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A quarter of a decade after the birth of Manchester’s black and Asian LGBTQ+ club scene, the club night returns to Contact with DJ sets from Claud, as well as Mix-Stress and Stacey Bee - a necessary celebration of this essential safe space, which its founders hope will be a ‘truly diverse night for women, friends and allies’.

“It was more than a club night, it inspired others to follow suit and created an enduring legacy of black pride,” explains Claud Cunningham, speaking on the phone ahead of this weekend’s celebration. “25 years ago there were very few places for people of colour.

“As queer lesbians of colour, we didn't feel welcome in the village or identify with what already