London had a wild party scene back in the 90’s from the legendary Leytonstone squat raves, to Spiral Tribeand their empty building takeovers. Things have calmed down a bit since the Criminal Justice Bill legislated against having fun. But unless you have a time machine back to the mid 90’s, you’re just going to have to trust us older folk, and accept that you missed not only the swinging 60’s but the raving 90’s too. You did also miss the 80s, which some would say was a bullet swerved, so it’s not all bad!
Warehouse parties occupy a strange grey area that nobody in authority particularly wants to discuss, so it’s understandable why there is some confusion. Here it is plainly. An unlicensed music event is typically a gathering of 20 or more people where loud, amplified music is played without permission from the landowner or appropriate licensing. Police have a range of powers to respond under the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. Section 63 gives police the power to remove people from events where music is “wholly or predominantly characterised by the emission of a succession of repetitive beats”. Anyone told to leave must do so immediately and cannot return for seven days. Refusing is a criminal offence punishable by up to three months in prison or a fine. Go with your eyes open, or stay at home.
Finding them is much harder than reading about them on the news the following day. WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram are popular channels, but expect cryptic messages or being sent to completely the wrong place. The thrill of the hunt is an integral part of the experience. Follow a trusted promoter account on Instagram, try and get added to a WhatsApp broadcast list by someone already on it. Location drops rarely come far in advance, so don’t expect much notice, and be ready to travel further than you would really like to on a whim or the chance it’s already been shut down while you were on the tube with no signal.
Telegram channels are also a good source of knowledge. Search by city: “[city name] raves”, “free parties [city]”. Expect a lot of noise and many duds. London’s scene runs deepest in Hackney Wick and Shoreditch, but Bristol, Manchester, Leeds, and Sheffield all have active free party scenes and often attract considerably less police attention per square mile. Smaller cities mean smaller crowds and a better chance the sound system is still running at 7am. Some events out in the countryside have been known to go on for days! Sadly manyevents are getting busted, so keep your wits about you and try not to get arrested. A police cell full of angry drunks is a shit way to comedown.
What to bring is a very short list. Cash only. Budget roughly £10 to £20 for the door, though some are free. Wear flat shoes you do not care about. Sticky concrete floors, potentially puddles of things you don’t really want to think about, don’t mix well with those nice white trainers you bought. Pack earplugs. Not because you are soft, but because tinnitus at 40 is a shitty consequence of repeated exposure to loud and badly calibrated rigs. Bring a portable phone charger. There will be no charging points, and unless you’re one of the DJ’s you’re unlikely to have access to the booth’s power. Bring water or plan to pay whatever the informal bar is charging, which will be whatever they feel like. Carry nothing else you cannot afford to lose.
If you are contemplating taking drugs, remember unlicensed events have no welfare teams and no medical cover. In fact there’s nothing that resembles regulated infrastructure and there won’t be any public liability insurance either! If you are taking anything, go with people who know your baseline, agree a meeting point at the start of the night before phones die, and do not take anything you cannot verify. If someone near you is in trouble, give or get help.
When to leave? If it’s going to kick off, then it’s usually at two specific points. The first few hours, when police are most likely to respond to noise complaints and attempt to shut it down before it gets going, and at the very end when the crowd thins out enough for them to not worry about starting a riot. When the dance floor reveals the puddles of unthinkable liquids between the thinning mass of gurning revellers, that is your signal. The party ended an hour ago. Leave while you can still get a night bus or an early tube, before the post-rave street theatre starts, and you’re stuck standing in it waiting for an Uber that will not come.
The best ones always end before you want them to. That’s how you know it was a goodun! If you need to remember anything, remember the golden rule, positive vibe + no ego = no drama. Or put so eloquently by Don Letts “Don’t be a cunt”. Stay safe!
