There’s a certain kind of power in the after-hours. A pull toward the spaces where myth and memory blur, where music becomes the only compass. In her latest sonic offering, multi-faceted London producer Hannah Holland crafts a hypnotic love letter to these liminal zones, soundtracking the sensual shadows of queer nightlife with Last Exit on Bethnal, a music film directed by Lydia Garnett.
What emerges is a seductive, sleazy, nocturnal fever dream: a marriage of cinematic atmosphere and clubland ecstasy. It’s a soundtrack for a fantasy underworld: guitars bleeding into the relentless pulse of 707 drum machines, arps evolving with narcotic beauty, and flashes of surreal, Lynchian dream-logic breaking the rhythm like cracks in a mirror.
At the core of Last Exit on Bethnal is a powerful statement of intention. “We wanted to craft something unapologetically for dykes: a poetic, surreal exploration of dyke power and sexuality set in mythic nightlife,” explains Holland. Rooted in the visual storytelling of iconic queer arthouse cinema, the film becomes more than a backdrop — it’s the muse. Holland composed the music in response to the imagery, channelling the heat, movement, and mysticism of the cast, which includes nightlife photographer Roxy Lee, performance artist Eve Stainton, multi-disciplinary creative Zach Toppin, and drag performer Sharon LaGrand.
Holland is no stranger to building worlds. Since the mid-2000s, she has played a defining role in shaping London’s alternative and queer club culture. From the hedonistic chaos of Trailer Trash to the iconic queer utopia of NYC Downlow at Glastonbury, to longform explorations behind the decks of Panorama Bar, Holland’s influence resonates across generations of dancefloor devotees. Her genre-defying sets reflect a lifetime of musical immersion, from ‘borrowing’ Kraftwerk and Grace Jones records from her parents to early raving at Metalheadz, where jungle and drum & bass soaked her teenage bones. In 2006, she launched Batty Bass with vocalist Mama, a now-legendary party and label platforming voices like Josh Caffe and The Carry Nation, and releasing Holland’s own acid-drenched anthems, including Paris’ Acid Ball.
Across a prolific catalogue spanning releases on Shall Not Fade, Crosstown Rebels, Classic, and Super Rhythm Trax, and remix work for The Blessed Madonna ft. Kylie Minogue, Planningtorock, The Knife, and Goldfrapp, Holland has established herself as an artist fluent in both history and futurism. Her debut album Tectonic (2021, PRAH Recordings) signaled the start of a deeper exploration into narrative-driven electronic music, a trajectory that’s expanded into film and theatre scores, including collaborations with cult queer director Bruce LaBruce and Channel 4’s Adult Material.
With Last Exit on Bethnal, Holland steps fully into that cinematic terrain - an alchemist of image and sound, conjuring a world that pulses with queerness, desire, and the beat of the underground.