Events

Iceboy Violet

Date

25/10/2026

Time

7:30 pm - 10:00 pm

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Venue

Gut Level. See venue details and map...

Details

Iceboy Violet

Sensoria Closing Party

Tickets – Pay What You Can

Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/iceboy-violet/

My Shoes For The Blacks

Date

25/10/2026

Time

12:00 pm - 3:30 pm

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Venue

Studio 1 (Site Gallery). See venue details and map...

Details

As part of Sensoria Festival, Dig Where You Stand presents My Shoes For The Blacks, a 3-screen shadow puppet film by Cole Morris with narrated poem by Désirée Reynolds.

Commissioned by Wentworth Woodhouse, the project pays homage to the hidden lives of the Black servants who worked, lived and died there. The house remembers.

Désirée Reynolds and Cole Morris will briefly introduce the film at 12noon.

Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/my-shoes-for-the-blacks/

Concerteenies | Air Giants

Date

25/10/2026

Time

10:45 am - 12:00 pm

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Venue

Cole Store (former John Lewis building). See venue details and map...

Details

SOLD OUT – click ticket link to join waiting list

We’re delighted to be welcoming Concerteenies to Air Giants’ Hothouse.

Concerteenies favourite Polly Ives will be performing with Kate Griffin and Ford Collier (Mishra Music) in response to our exciting installation of otherworldly inflatable flowers. Come along and watch this improvised performance and you can join in the musical fun.

• Doors 10:45 am
• Start 11:00 am
• Duration 1 hour.

Please note the venue is a disused department store. Recommended age range is 1 – 7 years. There are no toilet facilities inside the building, we can direct you to nearby facilities. For this reason, the space is not entirely suited to very young babies, all are welcome but please be advised of the limitations of the space.

Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/concerteenies-air-giants/

Turntablism and Tapes: analogue audiovisuals

Date

24/10/2026

Time

8:30 pm - 10:30 pm

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Venue

Drama Studio, The University of Sheffield. See venue details and map...

Details

Reel Steel and Zaron (Interworld) mix vinyl film scores and VHS cinema live for the big screen. Followed by an immersive live set combining zoetrope, sampler and tape loops from Sculpture.

A unique evening of live audio-visual performances; crossing music, cinema, and analogue media.

Sculpture, known for their spectacular live A/V shows, deliver reconfigured electronic music via multiple instruments; including samplers, tape reels and cassette players, to create an analogue/digital hybrid sound.

With custom projection, and using turntables to create Zoetrope (pre-film animation), their combined visuals and live sound deliver an audio-visual experience like nothing else.

Long-standing cult film exhibitors in Sheffield, Reel Steel will perform an all-vinyl set entirely composed of film score music – crossing various film and music genres – steadily picking up tempo, and featuring cinema visuals by Zaron (Interworld) through live VHS video cassette mixing.

A fascinating, immersive experience of analogue audio-visual entertainment.

Access information:
Wheelchair access to the Drama Studio is via the accessible entrance off Shearwood Road to the left hand side of the theatre. This access leads directly into the auditorium and to the wheelchair positions at the front of the seating block. There is an accessible toilet at this level to the right of the auditorium. Access to the Drama Studio front entrance is from street level up a flight of eleven stone steps to the forecourt followed by an additional four steps to the front doors. There are handrails to both sides of the sets of steps and corduroy tactile paving to assist those with visual impairment.

Main image: Courtesy of Reel Steel.

Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/turntablism-and-tapes-analogue-audiovisuals/

Plantasia Collective

Date

24/10/2026

Time

6:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Venue

Drama Studio, The University of Sheffield. See venue details and map...

Details

What if music could help plants grow?

Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/plantasia-collective/

Ember Collective

Date

24/10/2026

Time

4:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Venue

Trafalgar Warehouse. See venue details and map...

Details

An immersive day-to-night festival designed to help Sheffield’s creatives network and connect.

Expect an event stacked with live music, art, DJs, talks, creator stalls, food, drinks and the best Saturday vibes.

£2 entry on the door (cards accepted).

Linga Sound will close out Ember (7-9pm, bringing a deep selection of jazz, funk, warm sounds and percussive grooves from around the world.
Linga is a Sheffield-based DJ, selector and producer, resident at Kitchen Radio and the person behind monthly listening session Sound Service Station.

• Presented by Baggy Canvas x Sensoria.

Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/ember-collective/

SynthFest UK 2026

Date

24/10/2026

Time

10:30 am - 6:00 pm

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Details

SynthFest UK is back.

Come and see the biggest range of synthesizers in the UK, try them, and buy them on the day!

Over 60 companies will be exhibiting at the event, ranging from the boutique Eurorack Modular brands to major keyboard brands, plus a range of soft-synth and virtual instrument developers.

Advance Ticket – £17.99 (plus ticket fees).

Walk-Up Ticket – £25 on the day.

 

Tickets available via SEE TICKETS & RESIDENT ADVISOR.

Ticket price includes free entry to Seminars and Demos.

Buy your ticket in advance and save on the door price.
Concessionary prices are available.

Children under 14 years of age are welcome free of charge. If you would like to make a group or family booking, please email info@sensoria.org.uk with the number in your party to discuss this in further detail.

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Seminars

12:00pm – Electronic Music Open Mic (EMOM) Showcase

Hexial is the solo project of Nottingham based Alex Herington. He crafts lush, melodic electronica and IDM with glitchy edge, evoking neon-drenched cityscapes and expansive, cinematic atmospheres.
Instagram: https://instagram.com/hexial.music
Bandcamp: https://hexial.bandcamp.com
 
Lilly Sphire is an electronic music producer and DJ based in Derby. Her sound is a blend of trance-infused progressive house, while her DJ sets explore a more eclectic and unpredictable side of the art.
Instagram: https://instagram.com/lillysphire
Bandcamp: https://lillysphire.bandcamp.com
 
Estimate Boum is Frankfurt based Paul Mattulat. Paul is the founder of EMOM Frankfurt (established 2024) and involved in a wide range of grass roots electronic music in Frankfurt. He recently became a partner at Frankfurt’s first inclusive retro arcade ‘Backstreet Bar, Alright!’ and is a member of the RoMantiCs Graffiti Crew. He is a volunteer at VirusMusik editorial team for RadioX.
Web address: www.emomffm.de
 
Closing performance and host of the EMOM Showcase this year is Paul (Sheffield EMOM) aka Brawnywho is also an electronic music producer in his own right. You can find more information regarding his work here.
Bandcamp: https://brawny.bandcamp.com


4:00pm – Cabaret Voltaire In Conversation

Ahead of Cabaret Voltaire’s final UK concert, Stephen Mallinder and Chris Watson will be in conversation with author and journalist Daniel Dylan Wray, looking back on their rich legacy as pioneers of electronic music. They will reflect upon their early days in Sheffield, where it all started, experimenting with tape loops, Dadaism and making a provocative racket, via becoming hugely influential figures in the worlds of industrial, dance and sound design, before returning in incendiary form in 2025 to mark 50 years since their first gig. Truly one of contemporary music’s real innovators, join the pair as they finally draw the curtain on a half century history of innovation.

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SynthFest UK has been created by Sound On Sound magazine, in partnership with Sensoria Festival.

Please note that tickets are transferable but cannot be refunded once a transaction has been completed.

Seminar and Demo programme running order and start times may be found at www.synthfest.co.uk. We reserve the right to change the programme at short notice.

 

There will be several related events taking place at Sensoria for which SynthFest UK ticket holders can get a discount.

Full details at www.sensoria.org.uk – discounts available for SynthFest UK attendees.

Further event details www.synthfest.co.uk

The Octagon has wheelchair access.

Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/synthfest-uk-2026/

PLAID + NikNak

Date

23/10/2026 - 24/10/2026

Time

8:15 pm - 1:00 am

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Venue

Hangr Warehouse. See venue details and map...

Details

Stage Times  |  21:00 NikNak | 22:10 PLAID

 

Plaid (live AV set)

Plaid are monumental cornerstones for any self-respecting electronic music fan; having also worked under aliases including The Black Dog and Balil – not to mention their work with Bjork. Playful and wondrous, their 11th album Feorm Falorx sounds both cutting edge, and also warm, human and nostalgic – purveying a sort of high-tech-retro-futurism.

Tickets (£19.50/£17.50) on sale now via SeeTickets and Resident Advisor.

+ NikNak (live AV set)

A trailblazing musical polymath, NikNak has carved a niche for herself in the music industry with her distinctive turntablism, immersive compositions, and captivating improvised performances. Heralded by the likes of DJ Mag, Clash, The Wire and Resident Advisor, her debut album Bashi garnered critical acclaim, positioning her as one to watch in the experimental electronic music scene. Her fourth studio album Ireti was released on Matthew Herbert’s label Accidental Records in 2024 and was named one of the year’s best albums by Mixmag and Bandcamp.

Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/plaid/

The Magic City: Birmingham according to Sun Ra (PG)

Date

23/10/2026

Time

7:30 pm - 9:15 pm

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Venue

Alder Bar. See venue details and map...

Details

Dir.s Guillaume Maupin and Pablo Guarise | Belgium/Italy | 2025 | 1hr 37mins

Sensoria Festival at Kelham Film Club!

The Magic City: Birmingham according to Sun Ra

On May 22, 1914, Herman Poole Blount arrived on Earth in Birmingham, Alabama, known as The Magic City, a segregated industrial town in the rural South. After leaving for Chicago at the age of 32, he would become Sun Ra, one of the most eccentric and prolific jazz musicians of this century, as well as the founder of a strange cosmic philosophy.

A portrait of the artist as a young man as well as one of a city through time, The Magic City tells the story of Sun Ra’s relation to this city-universe that is at once political and magical, familiar and fantastic, disturbing and fascinating.

Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/the-magic-city-birmingham-according-to-sun-ra-pg/

TEKKONKINKREET (12)

Date

23/10/2026

Time

6:30 pm - 8:45 pm

Booking

This event has already happened, so can't be booked.

Venue

Drama Studio, The University of Sheffield. See venue details and map...

Details

This screening will feature a special guest introduction from the film’s score composers Plaid, ahead of their live audio-visual performance at Hangr Warehouse following the film.

Sensoria Festival, in association with Reel Steel, present the rarely-screened cult anime classic Tekkonkinkreet (2006) in a 20th Anniversary 4K restoration.

Based on the original Japanese manga series written by Taiyo Matsumoto, Tekkonkinkreet follows two street orphans – ‘Black’ and ‘White’ – who watch over Treasure Town, a decaying metropolis where life can be both gentle and brutal.

The street-smart youngsters roam their territory like superpowered vigilante stray cats, doing their best to defend it from the different villains and factions vying for control to impose their own intentions on the district; from local gangs, to old-world Yakuza, real-estate developers and other-worldly assassins, all threatening to destroy the very soul of the city.

Featuring a brilliant and evocative score by Plaid – who find their home on Warp Records alongside long-standing artists such as Boards of Canada and Aphex Twin – the debut directorial feature from Michael Arias (previously a co-producer of the Wachowskis’ animated anthology The Animatrix, along with previous credits including work on Studio Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke), Tekkonkinkreet is a standout tale of conflict and resolution – touching upon faults in present-day society – produced by the renowned Studio 4°C.

Japanese language with English subtitles.

• Linked event –  live audio-visual performance from Plaid at Hangr Warehouse (S3 8AS) Fri 23 Sept 9pm.

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Link to this event's page: https://www.sensoria.org.uk/events/tekkonkinkreet-12/