Revolution — Uprising: February's Ringleaders

Catalogue note

Original double-sided Revolution nightclub flyer advertising 'UPRISING EVERY THURSDAY — FEBRUARY'S RINGLEADERS' at Ship Hill, Rotherham, with weekly guests Mental Power (2nd), C Smooth (9th), Ramos (16th), Brisk (23rd) and eight resident troublemakers including M-Zone, MC Natz, Paul-O, DJ Final and DJ Jester. Year unprinted but February 1995 is strongly supported by Thursdays matching, Uprising's own 'Est. 1995' account, a separate May 1995 Rotherham Revolution/Uprising flyer and a spring 1995 Uprising audio entry. The vivid front displays enormous green extruded REVOLUTION type, neon orange glowing abstract cellular shapes and floating skull and R insignia spheres; reverse carries colourful handwritten UPRISING title and complete programme. This potentially formative Uprising-era record links regional Yorkshire club MC culture, Mental Power and early M-Zone hard trance; original performers' attendance, print count and design author are unverified.

Advertised programme: FEBRUARY'S RINGLEADERS: 2nd MENTAL POWER; 9th C SMOOTH; 16th RAMOS; 23rd BRISK. RESIDENT TROUBLEMAKERS (weekly billing, not assigned individually to particular dates): DJ FINAL; M-ZONE; MC NATZ; MC UNITY; DJ JESTER; PAUL-O; MC E.L.L.; MC BEATZ. Original wording makes resident DJs and MCs a separate group. Advertised performers are not proven to have appeared on each night.

Graphic-design significance: Intensely stylized 'Revolution' visual: huge three-dimensional craggy green display lettering over a seething field of glowing orange/yellow connected amoebas, contrasting levitating skull grin faces on metallic spheres and recurring red R circle badges. Reverse mixes all-caps red REVOLUTION, exuberant oversize hand-painted bright green UPRISING and 'EVERY THURSDAY', skull-crossbones DJ list markers and the same fiery glowing background. Strong representative 1995 pre-web digital rave-flyer colour design, though no particular personal illustrator is claimed.

Historical context: Uprising's official materials advertise 'Est. 1995' and describe its later role in UK hard dance/hardcore. Original-flier specialist Phatmedia identifies a Uprising at Revolution Rotherham 4 May 1995; an independently preserved Uprising 27 Apr 1995 recording is attributed to DJ Stu Allan with MC Natz and JD Walker. Local Doncaster Warehouse's M-Zone artist history credits Uprising and Dizstruxshon 1994/95 as formative to his hard-trance career. In a regional original interview republished in 'The Real State' (publication exact period not independently certified), Mental Power discuss their duo's underground club/rave activity and tape sales, showing that the programme's opening duo had independent documented activity. The printed Thursday 2/9/16/23 February dates are completely consistent with 1995; 2006 and 2017 also feature that weekday pattern, but name/lineup and earliest independently documented 1995 series make the founding year much more credible. Revolution's Ship Hill existence is also later attested by a 2017 Rotherham local-authority licence and listing, but exact 1995 street numbering not confirmed.

Production note: Full-colour printed psychedelic early-1990s graphic over pale rectangular border, with reverse brightly coloured lettering. Exact commercial process and stock unverified.

Condition note: Very Good, provisional from supplied two images: strong high-contrast colour and clear lettering, intact pale borders and corners, minor small white edge abrasions/scuff specks and gently softened corners. Reverse shows some slight paper-handling traces, but no clear serious fold, torn area, tape, pinhole, major stain or missing portion. Not graded Mint. Detailed paper/colour surface examination and dimensions unperformed.

Confidence / uncertainty: PHYSICALLY VERIFIED: both branded sides, Revolution on Ship Hill Rotherham, weekly February Thursday dates 2/9/16/23, headliners and complete resident troublemakers list, start '9PM', information line appears '0585 241515' but digits/end-time somewhat obscured, and skull/orb graphic. INDEPENDENT: promoter's self-reported 1995 formation, separate May 1995 original Revolution/Uprising flyer, recorded Uprising April 1995 set index, M-Zone relationship and Mental Power historical DJ duo. HIGH-CONFIDENCE INFERENCE: year 1995. UNVERIFIED: particular February event completion and precise club hours, exact building number in 1995, stage names' legal identities, creator/print quantity, attendance, copies surviving, monetary valuation.

Through the flyers

Explore the club-culture timeline to follow advertised dates, places and billed performers across the held flyers.

Event details are drawn from the held object and the qualified catalogue research above. A printed bill establishes an advertised booking, not confirmation that a performer appeared.