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Secret Daytime parties of the 1980s celebrated as part of Bradford 2025

Published November 12, 2025

Built by Sound (21 November – 14 December) is a new mixed reality interactive installation that explores the experiences of British South Asian youth culture from the mid 60s to the 1980s. A highlight of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, this world premiere leads audiences through the decades, culminating at the vibrant underground daytime parties known as Daytimers.

Scripted by author Nikesh Shukla, narrated by presenter Anita Rani and directed by award-winning immersive producer Shehani Fernando, Built by Sound is brought to life through personal testimonies and archival footage, with an original score by DJ and music producer Provhat Rahman.

The project is co-created by Emmy award-winning immersive story studio No Ghost, Dialled In artist-led initiative that celebrates and promotes South Asian culture, and Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

Audience members will be given headsets which guide them through a series of scenes of real-world elements such as sets, sound and lighting, mixed with virtual reality and augmented reality graphics, film and oral histories. Photographer Tim Smith’s black and white images also provide unrivalled and intimate glimpses into Bradford’s South Asian culture during this period.

Groups of 6 will be immersed in the domestic world of second-generation South Asian teenagers in 1970s Bradford before they go on to experience photographer Tony Walker’s Belle Vue photography studio, the streets of Bradford in the 80s and then onto the collective joy of the Daytimers parties.

Built by Sound will celebrate a movement when young South Asians carved out new space in society, soundtracked their resistance against oppression, and faced down the fascist rhetoric of the National Front not in silence, but in celebration.

I’m Bradford born and Bradford bred, that Yorkshire stone and grit built me.
Bradford is a city like no other. Everyone has an opinion about it, though most have never even set foot there.

Being part of this project was a surprisingly powerful and emotional experience. It took me back to all the things you carry quietly when you grow up moving between different worlds. As an Indian kid growing up in Bradford, one of the first Indian families in the city, my parents’ mission was to make sure I had every opportunity they never did. But I also had to learn to navigate a world where the far right marched through the town centre, and where some people would rather say they were from Leeds. Never me, I hasten to add.

At my mostly white school, my parents were far stricter than the parents of my white friends, and my Asian mates, whose parents were even stricter, were secretly sneaking off to daytimers, creating their own youth culture and sense of freedom.

Culture has always been everything to me, and music was my saviour. Back then, British Asian kids were carving out their own spaces and shaping their identities in ways that were not only uniquely British, but uniquely Bradford. I’m incredibly proud to be part of this project, bringing to life an important piece of British social history so we don’t forget, especially now. Our stories shape this land, and it’s vital we tell them ourselves, because if we don’t, they get rewritten by others.
Anita Rani Presenter
My mum grew up not far from Bradford and with her friends, as teenagers, was involved in direct anti-racist action. She inspired me to be the person I am. It's an honour to be a part of this work in this city now. With rising fascism, with racists attacking people on the streets, with our politicians kowtowing to far right parties in search of popularity, it feels like an apt time to look to the past for inspiration.

Daytimers were my first experience of going out, feeling connected with my community and feeling less isolated. The heroes we write about deserve more prominence in our history books. Trying to conjure that youthful feeling of abandon, joy, safety and resistance has been one of the biggest honours of my life, and a responsibility I don't take lightly. Come along, experience the movement and walk out emboldened, ready to fight.
Nikesh Shukla Author
It’s been fascinating to shape this experience through the voices of those who lived through a transformative time in Bradford’s history. Their stories — from life in the mills and struggles against racism to the rise of Daytimers — reveal the resilience and creativity of Bradford’s Asian community. We wanted to honour that legacy and let audiences step into those stories and capture the essence of that time
Shehani Fernando Producer
Credits →
Image Credit: Andrew Benge