Party Vibe

was attending them right up until the end of last year (subsequent to that East Anglia got locked down totally) – I can’t go out because there simply aren’t any more in our region!

I do still keep in touch with what is going on in the Thames Valley area and am fully aware there have been parties there and Western england (in many cases the same venues me and my mates were using from 2004-2005).

OK TVP/Wiltshire currently aren’t raiding them but a lot of this is only because their budget gets caned by other things, usually road collisions, domestic violence and all the “hidden” crimes plus proximity to London and Bristol means more perceived threat from terrorism.

there are still mistakes being made. Whenever I do a search on google news there is always some report about rubbish being left behind, buildings being smashed up (such as the Reading warehouses). There are various robberies and violence (mostly people being jacked in corners) and that beef between certain crews in those ends and travellers (what started around 2002) remains unresolved and could go off with violence at any time..

When TVP finally get pissed off they go in just as hard as all the others (such as Wokingham 2004).

There is also a developing backlash in Forest of Dean due to the impact of ketamine on the young populations there. Further, the SE and East Anglia forces also work together now to exchange info because a lot of Oxfordshire heads (and Grandad Asbo) started partying Norfolk when TVP locked down some parts of it. Look on a map and you will understand why, from Banbury its not that far away.

legal late night venues (i.e the Coven) have not yet been outlawed but don’t take them for granted as they only existed from 1991 onwards.

However provided people can check themselves and not cause more costs to the local councils/NHS than the venues generate in licensing revenue and the venue owners are careful not to piss off the owners they will be fairly safe.

Also you can still get TENS licenses..

London is only left alone because there is a shitload of real crime. However there was definietly one psy trance party what was closed down by CO19 (armed police) for the crews own safety because the local gangs were smashing the windows and presumably metpol got worried someone might have a gun.

(if they still do them) Munt have to operate their events in virtual secrecy due to being targeted by gangs. This is despite robust security measures.

Other raves in London have always had at least an amount of gang activity. Ditto Bristol, and the violence has increased. Yes ravers have fought back but the scum aren’t just running away..

its not any fault of crews and parties will still remain good to newcomers or those who can block out what is really happening in the street but the problem isn’t anything to do with people being jaded. Many of the people wary of talking to the film maker were people from crews and have recently put on events.

There is quite simply a determined effort by a lot of angry people to fuck up any large unregulated social gathering like a party (and I don’t just mean the Police!) – as well as others who are just uncaring or ignorant. Even Norfolk parties which actually have a very good atmosphere (which is why the youths take such risks to put them on) were blighted by violence and anger in the last year they were occuring.

This is as much a fault of wider society but it affects this scene as it now has no support nor protection from the same wider society.

This isn’t flaky hippy thinking – this is simply being pragmatic.

Of course the “old skool” crews covered costs by various means – But what they certainly didn’t do is brag about doing so (particularly taking money on the door) on public forums that any random person (including those with authority) can and does read.

The door charges were often “donations” (or at least taken inside the building where the feds won’t blatantly clock you doing so) and yes the rigs were smaller so the costs were equally smaller.

however the real world has reached a consensus that late night music events have risks, and the way to deal with them is to get some sort of license, same as Raindance and even many of the other former underground promoters on here do. Yes people may still get away with unlicensed events but one day the rest of society says “enoughs enough” and you are dealing with 100+ riot cops.

raves certainly aren’t anti-capitalist activism -that link was lost many years ago but because of the perception by police there is a lot more money being made they are now being treated as medium to major level organised crime.

the more the feds think you are making money the more they will track you down and take your rig, and the more shouting you do online the easier it is to find everyone involved. I know a fair few people who have learnt this the hard way.

when you have lived in a area what went from virtual acceptance of parties to zero tolerance within the space of a year its pretty fucking obvious things are hotting up somewhat and its going to get hotter.

it doesnt matter for shit if the event is called a squat party, a free party or whatever.

if any bad shit happens it is viewed as a illegal rave, feds assume it is funded by drugs and “door tax” and the fact you have taken money on the door even if its called “donations” is noted and used against you – especially when people imply its “financially rewarding” (and I’ve never heard any other party crew claim that in 17 years)

Norfolk constabulary is using the Proceeds of Crime Act already to recover all costs from party organisers. They aren’t daft and know where the money for these events come from.

The bumpkin forces and metpol work closely together to deal with the “rave problem”. it is all over our local news at the moment. The cultural bridges needed for this were already forged in end 2006 following a riot at a illegal rave in Essex, a shooting at a UK garage event in Ipswich and the murder of five prostitutes a couple of whom had links to the club / party scene (where they first tried drugs).

It doesn’t matter what any one of us thinks is right – what matters in a democratic society is the laws passed by elected representatives. on some occasions those in power may choose not to enforce them for whatever reason but if something goes pear shaped they will in order to make a stand.

I don’t think ravers should go to jail merely for being at a party (although some MP is trying to introduce this law) but there has already been a precedent of promoters being sent down as they held a similar party in Essex, charged on the door and had a dangerous structure in the building.

The promoters involved were similarly stubborn and vocal and even often talked to mainstream media and said to cops “we will do raves in this manor” whatever you say (and they did get away with it for a while).

As well as this party in Essex they did a similar one in Suffolk and because of lax organisation one kid was slashed across the face due to a drugs deal gone wrong, another drowned in the Gipping/Orwell in mysterious circumstances.

People involved were arrested, imprisoned, fined and had their rigs taken, cops also found links with the local drugs trade from their surveillance. Essex constabulary then made a determined effort to stop both free and even licensed rave-type events in the entire region – as had Suffolk – something that remains to this day.

this thread is about the situation in the South of England.

You are probably going to get at least 2-3 years of partying in your region anyway simply because of the terrain, the remoteness and the lower cash cost of land. Perhaps more, certainly enough for the remainder of your teens.

and the scene up that way isn’t so big as I suspect youths don’t have the cash as much to buy huge rigs or even start dealing..

If you lot don’t leave excessive rubbish or start turning to heroin on comedowns and no one gets shot, the authorities aren’t going to want to spend thousands clearing you out of there with riot cops. They are probably still counting the costs of dealing with the miners strike out there (such as a total breakdown in police/community relations and a lot of real class A drug addiction)

Eventually your manor probably will lock down but by then you will either have got bored of raving or have enough resources to do the TENS/licensed party type event.