Raving Under The Radar: Then And Now

In a 'secret' location in the Forest of Dean, in the early hours on a Sunday morning, 500 excited young revellers dance in unison among the trees to a heady, pulsating, beat - some have travelled long distances to be here and then ... the music stops abruptly - the authorities shut down an illegal rave following noise complaints and concern for public safety. Is this a description of one of those notorious happenings of youth culture back in the late 1980s? No, this is 2019 (24th March). The National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC) considers these illegal raves a “growing problem” and "inherently unsafe.”

The term ‘illegal rave’ is most commonly associated with the hedonistic counter culture which exploded into Britain in the late 1980s. It was this era that gave birth to acid house; a completely alien genre which pushed musical boundaries beyond anything heard before. It became the soundtrack to a whole movement which united people of all skin colours and sexualities, during a time where the government (under the reign of Thatcher), attempted to build barriers and segregation. Illegal parties famously contributed to the deconstruction of these discriminatory walls, becoming the epitome of 90’s youth culture.

Since the scene first began, unlicensed raves have continued to pop up all over the UK, even once the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994 came into power in an attempt to make huge outdoor parties impossible. The bill authorised the removal of persons attending or preparing for a rave. “There are nowhere near as many illegal parties as there once was”, explains Horton Jupiter, a DJ, and party-starter, well known within the underground rave scene. Instead of giant industrial warehouses, promoters were forced to become more creative with the spaces they used and took strict measures to ensure that their party remained under the radar. This is still the case with illegal parties - when spreading the word about these events, it is very much a case of word-of-mouth rather than spilling the details online for authorities to see. However, although many of these events manage to remain completely unknown, the number of recorded illegal raves in recent years has skyrocketed, almost doubling since 2016.

This begs the question, ‘why?’ One simple answer to this would be, gentrification. According to the Association of Licensed Multiple Retailers (ALMR), almost half of London’s clubs have closed since 2005. One major factor causing this is the increase in rent prices, meaning that club owners could no longer afford to maintain their club. As a result of this, there is an empty space in the dance music scene. The clubs that have survived are still faced with the same issues that gentrification raises, therefore are sadly forced to increase ticket prices, which for many party-goers is not appealing. This on top of the increasingly exclusive atmospheres and phone-focused crowds commonly seen in clubs today, is enough to encourage people to party in other ways.

Welcome to the free party - the place where its name perfectly defines what it is; unlike bougie central London clubs, entry is free and you can do whatever you please without any fear of judgment, invasive security - not to mention the looming early curfew. This was the case with free parties when they spawned in the late 80s as much as it is now (possibly more), so in some ways, over a period of around 30 years, although the crowd and music have shifted, the vibe has retained its hedonistic values. It can be said that ravers from both eras were drawn to illegal parties since they act as a form of escapism from society’s pressures and constraints. Although, there are other factors which contributed to the birth of illegal raves; “everyone was skint and bored”, explains Horton. “Everyone was ready for it [rave culture], and the music, the drugs, the boredom, and the political climate, all hit the peaks of their natural cycles at once”, meaning that when the underground party scene was born, it blew up beyond measure.

The parties themselves were wild hubs of hedonism where revellers would dance expressively to acid house, hardcore, jungle and anything else with dance-induced repetition. “FREEDOM” shouted Horton when asked to describe his early experiences of the underground party scene - “(It felt like) you were doing something kind of dangerous, edgy and wild but as if you were doing just the right thing.” This feeling was universal among young people who embraced this air of rebellion and immersed themselves within a cause they believed in. People would often party all weekend long in an array of settings, including industrial warehouses, countryside fields, and housing co-ops. Horton recalls parties he used to attend during the mid-’90s at Clays Lane, which at the time was the largest housing co-op in Europe. The now turned Olympic Park flats “had 3 courtyards with a sound system, and half the houses inside those courtyards would have a system, so there were maybe around 20 - 23 systems in total”. Parties on this scale have become a rare sight - authorities would shut down any large event with no hesitation.

However, this has not disheartened party-starters who continue to go to great lengths in order to keep the underground party spirit alive. For organisers, finding party spots became almost as important as the events themselves, acting as an edgy ritual. Spaces of all shapes and sizes within any setting have been utilised by ravers - even the unthinkable. In 2017, the Police shut down a rave occurring in a sewer underneath Newcastle. The event was attended by around 200 people who waded through a few feet of water to access the party. This itself illustrates how important it is for ravers to experience party culture their own way, without any rules, regulations or even hygiene standing in the way.

This has, and will most likely always be the case. The party itself is, of course, important - dancing to great music with friends until the sun comes up is affirming and euphoric. However, the real rush of adrenaline comes from the feeling of complete freedom - something that illegal parties so perfectly evoke - and this is addictive. Expressing yourself without limits has always been desired, especially when political barriers stand in the way. 30 years on from when the scene’s beginnings, there may be a change in music, technology, politics and social behaviour, however, this desire is still very much felt by a whole culture of people, and partying without limits will continue to be chased.