At a time when UK club culture is facing one of its most fragile periods in decades, Sam Divine is returning to the small rooms that first shaped her. More than 400 nightclubs have closed across the UK in the past five years, with grassroots venues among the hardest hit, eroding the spaces where local scenes form, artists develop, and communities gather. In response, Divine launched her 555 Tour, a series of five-hour, open-to-close sets in intimate venues across Liverpool, Bristol, Brighton, Exeter and Manchester, created in partnership with Save Our Scene.
The tour arrives alongside “The Groove,” her new single and the first release on her newly launched imprint, 555. Stripped-back and built for the floor, the track reflects the instincts of a DJ shaped by decades inside dark rooms rather than festival spectacle. First introduced during her Tomorrowland main stage set in 2025, it has since become a recurring centrepiece in her performances, bridging the scale of global stages with the intimacy of grassroots dancefloors.
Framed as both a personal and political gesture, the 555 project marks a full-circle moment in Divine’s 25-year career. With £5 early-bird tickets and a strict no-phone policy, the shows prioritise immersion, accessibility, and presence—reviving the long-form DJ set as a space for storytelling and experimentation. The project also coincides with a period of personal transformation she describes as “Sam 2.0,” shaped by sobriety, wellbeing, and a renewed relationship to nightlife.
As the 555 Tour continues through March, Divine reflects on what grassroots venues made possible in her early career, what is at stake as they disappear, and how returning to these spaces has reshaped her understanding of the dancefloor today.
The 555 Tour brings you back to intimate venues for five-hour open-to-close sets. Why was it important to build the concept around duration and depth rather than scale?
I’ve always been big on storytelling in my career, and I’ve approached my 5 hours sets in the same way. Starting off low and slow around 119 bpm and building it throughout the night peaking to around 135 bpm. That takes a lot of skill, experience, and knowledge. I wanted to challenge myself whilst giving back to grassroots venues.
Being in the industry for 25 years I think it’s easy to forget why you fell in love with DJ’ing in the first place and I wanted to take myself back to when I was a resident warm up DJ . I was so carefree . I didn’t care too much if I made mistakes , I was really experimental.
There wasn’t as much pressure as there is now as a headline DJ and everything that comes with that. Selling out big venues is amazing and I’ve worked really hard to get here. This grassroots tour is about giving back to the very clubs that gave me a chance when I first started out .
Looking back at the early grassroots clubs that shaped you, what did those spaces give you that bigger stages can’t?
Taking people on a journey is really important to me. Creatively there’s only so much you can do of that in a 2-hour set. A set can go in so many different directions depending on the energy of the dance floor.
This way I get to set the tone from early doors leaning into my 25 years of knowledge and experience. Revisiting tracks that I never get to play anymore that I wouldn’t necessarily play on a bigger stage. I also learnt DJ etiquette.
Really appreciating the headline DJ. I always wanted to do a ‘good job’ warming up. This is how I earned respect from my peers.
In practical terms, what does a five-hour journey allow you to explore musically that shorter sets don’t?
Trust. My audience trusting me but also trusting my intuition. Around hour 3 I find myself reaching for records that sonically shouldn’t go together but using my skill to make them work.
Taking the dance floor in different directions seamlessly because I already know where I want or need to get to . Bringing the vibe down for a couple of records so you can take the energy back up again . Longer sets should feel like a full body workout.
Leaving people guessing where you are going to go next, so they don’t want to leave the dance floor. Longer sets are such a joy.
Touring at your level can be relentless. What does a typical day on the road look like for you now and how do you consciously unwind after a show?
I’m still to nail the winding bit down. It typically takes me 2 hours to fall asleep from the moment I plug out to the minute my eyes shut. I do have rituals before I play though. I like to sage and clean the energy of my space and say a prayer. Whether that’s a green room or lately the whole club before a 5-hour set. Touring abroad consistently is just in my blood now.
Sam Divine sets the pace for 555 with new single ‘The Groove’
The first release on her new 555 imprint lands as the UK tour kicks off with a call to protect independent venues.
The days leading up to the weekend are more important than on the actual day. Making sure I am going to bed early, self-care, packing, checking in for flights, social media for the show and prepping music is all done in the days leading up to the show now. Sobriety has unlocked a new superpower of being organised so on the day of the shows all I have to do is catch a plane and play music.
That can be disrupted sometimes with delays etc but keeping myself calm and not stressed in those situations is paramount so I don’t bring that energy to the decks.
You’ve been open about your sobriety and recovery. How has that shifted your relationship with club culture and the dancefloor?
Sobriety has been such a huge blessing in my life. I feel hyper focused and really In-tune with the dance floor. Things you might miss when you are under the influence of alcohol.
In addiction you feel numb a lot of the time. You remember places and experiences and how you felt but you are never truly present and now I feel more present than ever. The club is my church, and the dance floor is my saviour.
With more than 400 UK nightclubs closing in the last five years, what do you think is misunderstood about what we lose when a grassroots venue disappears?
The statistics are shocking and I’m saddened by this as I had no clue how bad it was and is the whole reason for doing this 555 tour. Some of my favourite clubs have shut down. I met some of my best friends in those clubs. They hold so many memories.
When these grassroots venues disappear, we’re losing the very foundations of what our culture is built from.
Scenes are born in these spaces; headline DJs are born from these spaces. When they close, the loss ripples outward. Fewer entry points for emerging artists. Communities are shattered . These smaller spaces are the very heartbeat of our cities.
If we opened your record bag right now for a 555 set, what are three records/tracks that would almost definitely be in there?
Frankie Knuckles - Tears
Sam Divine - The Groove
Sade - Smooth Operator
Name three women in music who have inspired or influenced you?
My mum. I lost her 2 years ago and she’s still inspiring me with music. I just collaborated on a record with Capri using the sample of Billy Ocean - Caribbean Queen. It was one of her favourite songs. From an early age my mum always had music playing and it’s inspired me a lot in my sets over the years.
Lisa Lashes. Lisa was a huge influence on me in my early days. I loved that she had her own record label as well as being a badass DJ. She was breaking the norm and flying the flag for female DJs over 2 decades ago and she’s still crushing it today. This game is all about longevity.
Annie Mac. I was listening to her radio shows for as long as I can remember, I found so much new music and new artists from her BBCR1 show . I love her before midnight concepts. Bringing wellness into the music space. Annie has inspired me that there’s no limits you can do as a mom in the music industry.
