Forums › Rave › Free Parties & Teknivals › UK : East/SE : Why we can’t turn back the clocks
They are all in fragments and pieces – being put into bags amongst all the other debris of the last 17 years and checked out by the CSI in their white suits
The “bang” was only meant to be the sound of our rigs and basslines – and to “make a stand”, but it turns out there was a fair bit of damage – lots of people got hurt, from those in uniform and authority to many of our own comrades but many innocents got drawn in… lots of property got damaged too during the fight.
there were battles on the ground too, losses and injuries on both sides…
if anyone finds this analogy exaggerated or even offensive I make no apologies (particularly as the cops now actually judge us as “terrorists”) – of course there are relatively few direct casualties from a rave
However people have died from overdoses, and road traffic collisions (at least 5 or so in East Anglia in just a couple of years, a few more from SE England. maybe 10 only in total but thats 10 families mourning
Although until recently violence was rare.. it has increased and there has been a lot more claret spilt in recent times…
Add to this the toll from addictions, the families and relationships destroyed on comedown psychosis, the employers and educators who have seen good people fall apart as recreational use becomes problematic use – often its not “mindless ignorant babylon” whinging but despair from the hearts of those affected by others lack of self control – I speak to a lot of people here in Suffolk and they are not anti drugs because of cops but because someone close to them fucked up big time…
then add the body count from drugs turf wars and associated violence.
Yes I know much of it is because of prohibition but a certain amount does happen because a significant minority of young men enjoy the gangsta lifestyle, and by just taking drugs whilst they remain illegal we help encourage this sort of behaviour whether we want to or not.
And all of this affects the “normal” clubbers too – not just free parties
And now there is a stalemate, a lockdown which is spreading across the country and perhaps Europe, yet few are willing to negotiate…
but I think we are literally at the point where this has to happen.
We can either have another 5 or so years of “war” and see everyone lose
The cops have enough resources to finish off what remains of the illegal party scene, and then start clamping down on licensed events. However no one “wins” as the rave culture will be substituted even more by binge drinking and class A addiction like what has already happened in other “zero tolerance” areas..
Or people can at least try and negotiate for “light touch” licensed events (such as TENS) and elf regulate their lifestyles so others can’t find reasons to complain..
whats it to be? I think time is running out for people to make their next moves…
I haven’t seen an awful lot wrong with the Northern scene, to be perfectly honest. I think the things about people burning out or getting violent is little to do with raves themselves, but more to do with society as a whole. For whatever reason (everyone blames thatcher, so lets go for that) a lot of young people have very little respect for their own lives, and therefore very little respect for other’s lives. This either leads them into destroying themselves through addiction, or becoming wrapped in violence.
This is happening through all types of young people in the UK, not just the ravers.
This is happening through all types of young people in the UK, not just the ravers.
maybe but it was happening in 1991 as well and yet people initially used raves as an escape from and not an addition to all the bullshit in life.. Also there still has to be some positive movement and action (for instance Leviticus in Luton seem to be learnign from past mistakes and doing some good stuff once more).
also I know a lot of young people who simply don’t rebel and get on with life – they don’t do drugs (maybe go to a normal club and drink a bit) and some even go church regularly (this is making a big comeback down here) – OK they may not be 100% satisfied with life but they don’t go out and do crime or violence… but many become victims of those who do and are envious of them and thats what makes a lot of younger people fairly reactionary..
Also whilst I don’t believe tinfoil helmet theories on population culling there are a lot of kids born in this country and the rest of society just doesn’t care if a few of the more angry ones just don’t make it to age 20 – maybe their mums and nans cry for them but few others will. Competition is ruthless when you get to age 16-19 upwards for stuff like jobs/college and there are winners and losers..
And if people don’t want to comply its only places like raves and other alternative ventures (including constructive things what are an offshoot of the rave culture such as the building workshop they are planning in Luton) where many can actually shape their lives in a positive manner, but it needs to be done once again in a way what doesn’t piss off the rest of society…
fuck!
GL, you seem to choose the most fucked up places to live / party
Boothy says he’s having a good time in the north and loads of people are having a good time in the south
there was a public meeting about an event that has gone legit near me the other day… folks who came opposed stood up in favour of the fun by the end of the meet and the police came out in our defence (last year there were 5 calls (3 telling them the event was happening, which they already knew, 1 lost mobile and 1 from the organiser to remove someone from the site who was being lippy)
it isn’t all doom and gloom, we’ve managed adapt and communicate our side
most ravers i know of aren’t proving a point, cause no hassle, upset no-one
on the odd occasion that things get out of hand, we scale it back for a month or so and then carry on as usual
true it’s not the crowds of 20 or 30 thou that happened 20 years ago, but we have fucking good parties and when we leave we can do so with good conscience that no-one got shat on by it all
what’s the matter with people in your ends?
GL, you seem to choose the most fucked up places to live / party
Ipswich and the regions is actually a brilliant place to live and work in.
Its only the dance music related nightlife what got fucked over a bit
its not the prettiest place (although there are nicer areas just a few miles away) but its like London or Reading 20 years ago with less of the scum and crime and still a fair bit of economic growth.
However somewhere like Ipswich town is constantly on alert because you have a large population of young males with different alliegances and agendas – different estates, ethnic groups etc, footy and they form tribes and fight their corner. Not as bad London gangs and if you don’t go to the wrong places you won’t get involved but there is always a high police presence and CCTV on alert, and all late night venues are in one controlled area so when it kicks off its dealt with swiftly. this (and the 2006 shooting in Zest) obviously makes cops suspicious of any large late night gathering of young people – so they hold events to Metpol’s “safe and sound” protocol which makes it somewhat hard to get licenses.
but thats the fault of a few hotheads whom if they are local the cops usually deal with. Its hardly a “fucked up” place.. and the worst stuff happens due to outsiders (London gangs shot up zest and a scum womanbeater from norfolk killed the prostitutes).
Ironically the rest of the town can be perfect peace. I can cycle about at random hours and get very little hassle and not be stopped by cops or harrassed by bad drivers…
what’s the matter with people in your ends?
just stubbornness and a feeling they were above the law .. raves and clubs here were a victim of their own success. there was once a buzzing scene from Essex to Norfolk – heard this from loads here, gv23, mudstomper, binge etc.
those involved aren’t particularly poor or downtrodden – people had decent jobs, vehicles, rigs, if these have gone its only often because they spunked their money on ketamine and/or fucked over their employers by sketchy work. There was a lot of IT workers who slacked and then wondered why fuck loads of stuff got bangalored.
When the “good times” were about people just didn’t look at the wider picture. now a lot of people are really fucking angry and sullen as they just didn’t believe norfolk cops were going to actually clamp down..
Also as Norwich and yarco are less affluent they still tolerate legal club nights, so many ravers have given up and gone legal as by their 20s they are already planning to calm down. These will last for as long as the binge-drinking doesn’t lead to excessive violence.
There is also a undercurrent of anger and tension here. I am not sure myself of the exact reason, as I have only lived in East Anglia for two years but whilst I don’t feel as worried as London I am more alert to potential flashpoints when in places like pubs/clubs and its a bit more “on top” than Reading.
Even with all this there are still a few remaining legal venues and a few areas where TENS events could still happen but its rebuilding bridges what already got busted down in the late 90s/early 2000s..
I’ve put a region code on here for the moment – but this really has become a problem (but not an insurmountable one) in a quarter of the country.
SW England crews and Northern crews are lucky at the moment due to terrain and remoteness.
The land in the North isn’t as as high value and a lot of it is only used for sheep – in the SW its actually more remote as they lost the fish wars to the East Coast many years ago – for all the East Anglian’s moaning its easy to get to any coastal area or potential party area by road (at least outside peak hours), the only reason some can’t find venues is because they done too much ketamine :laugh_at:
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Forums › Rave › Free Parties & Teknivals › UK : East/SE : Why we can’t turn back the clocks
