Short Film 'Meat Rack' Celebrates Glastonbury's Hedonistic Paradise, NYC Downlow
The iconic queer venue is spotlighted in all its glory.
Glastonbury would be celebrating its 50th anniversary this weekend, and one of the main queer attractions at the festival is Block9‘s NYC Downlow — which has now been celebrated in the short film, Meat Rack.
Meat Rack has been made by Harry Lawson, who directed the movie and also worked on the sound design and editing process. NYC Downlow first came to Glastonbury in 2007 and has since garnered critical acclaim as one of the best nightclubs in the world. It is housed in a life-size, film-set replica of a New York meatpackers warehouse circa 1982, serving a sweaty, ’80s-themed, hedonistic environment for raving in a queer safe space.
The film was shot in 2017 at Downlow’s 10th anniversary using various medium formats, and is set against a high-intensity soundtrack reminiscent of a night at the venue. It draws upon arthouse cinema, capturing abstract voyeuristic shots of dancers in dimly lit surrounds for an aptly surreal visual, yet also spotlights how the venue is made.
As Meat Rack develops, we get a glimpse at what goes on as night falls, showing us DJs, performers, and ravers under strobe lights. In addition to the film, Block9 is releasing some of its favorite DJ sets from the past 12 years at various festivals and events, which can be heard on the Block9 SoundCloud from 11 a.m. BST on June 26.
Block9 and The Downlow Radio are also fundraising for a number of charities, such as the race equality think tank Runnymede Trust and Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders. The duo is accepting donations on their GoFundMe page. You can watch Meat Rack until June 30 above, or on the NYC Downlow’s website.
In other entertainment news, Erica the artificially intelligent robot has landed a $70 million USD lead actor role.
