Party Vibe

Scotland on Sunday

Sun 21 Sep 2003

Ravers’ return rocks rural life

CLAIRE GARDNER

THE desire to dance in a muddy field at midnight, waving light-sticks and blowing a whistle, rarely made sense to anyone who had not consumed copious quantities of illegal drugs.

But now, almost a decade after rave culture ran out of steam, hundreds of Scottish youngsters are once again getting ‘Sorted for Es and Wizz’ and heading to remote areas of rural Scotland for all-night outdoor dance parties.

An investigation by Scotland on Sunday has revealed that there have been at least seven raves north of the Border in the past three months, including one in the grounds of a ruined castle in East Ayrshire.

A further four raves are planned, including one which was due to happen somewhere in the Highlands this weekend.

Unlike the rave heyday in the late 1980s and early 1990s when organisers relied largely on word of mouth, easy access to the internet and mobile phones allows party goers to keep the location a tight secret until just a few hours before the event.

A vague location and a range of possible dates are posted on internet sites long before the event. A mobile number is then given, often on the day of the rave. Only then can callers get precise details of where and when the event is happening.

The tight security means the first police, councils and landowners are likely to know about a rave is often days after the event.

The drugs have also moved with the technology. Ecstasy remains popular, but cocaine has been added to the cocktail.

An internet report about a rave held in the ruins of a castle on the banks of Loch Doon about 10 miles from Dalmellington in East Ayrshire on Friday, July 18, describes how 300 people were dancing around the dimly lit area.

The report also makes reference to “rolling” to describe the behaviour of a raver under the influence of the drug ecstasy. It begins: “Whooooooaaaa… I just went to a Monster Massive [a rave] yesterday night. I’m so tired. I spent the night dancing frantically and chasing after my friends who, while rolling, like to wander off.”

The account goes on: “Cindy wore a yellow and white kitty outfit (she was VERY popular coz she had a very furry outfit, which made for a lot of hugging) and she was also rolling, and so apparently went on a personal mission to meet and hug every single person there.

“Then Sam was very, very amusing because she was just tripped out, and when she is rolling, she is very, very bossy, obstinate, and… grabby. Cindy and I got mauled while we were dancing with her, and then she bit me and then Brian. Not to cause pain, of course, but I think she liked the idea of chewing something.”

Maureen Campbell, who runs a B&B on Loch Doon, said she had been aware that there was an “outdoor party”.

She said: “We weren’t really that bothered by it. We knew there was something going on because between 10pm and midnight there were loads of cars racing around the loch area obviously looking for the site.

“Because we knew something was going on we kept our ears open for music, but to be honest we weren’t disturbed at all.”

Historic Scotland, guardians of Doon Castle, said they were not aware a rave had been held at the site.

Strathclyde Police also said they had not been aware of the gathering. “There have not been any reports of any damage to the site,” said a spokeswoman for Historic Scotland. “As long as people do not damage the building there is nothing to stop them visiting the site at any time of the day or night.”

Raves were so popular that legislation was passed in England in 1994 which allowed police to arrest anyone at a rave or organising one. No such law was passed in Scotland, although lawyers believe breach of the peace charges could be brought against ravers.

Drug agencies have expressed concern about this new wave of raves, saying because they are such clandestine affairs they have not been able to offer advice or help to people who have overdosed on drugs.

A spokesman for drug information and advice service Crew 2000 said: “We have only managed to attend a handful this summer because information is so hard to get hold of.

“It’s all very cloak and dagger and the organisers are totally paranoid, so information on locations is very tight.

“When raves were big last time round, many of them tended to be in big warehouses and other quite obvious places.

“Now they have started up again they have become very clandestine affairs. It’s very hard to build up links because the promoters are so paranoid. The raves are now being held in the middle of nowhere so the police cannot find them.”

He added: “It seems to be a more sophisticated crowd which are reforming the raves. On the drugs front, ecstasy and cocaine seem to be what they are taking.”

Alistair Ramsay, director of Scotland Against Drugs, added: “There were a number of health complications associated with using drugs at raves in the past which were unable to be dealt with because of the lack of medical supervision on site.

“The question arises: if you have a rave in a field how do you get an ambulance into a ploughed field?”

Explaining the return of the rave, Toby Newall, associate director of research company RDSi’s ongoing youth project Youth2, which looks at the behaviour of 17 to 25-year-olds, said: “What’s happening is that raves became very popular in the late 80s but by the mid 90s they had become very commercialised. They then moved into more structured events in clubs.

“What we are seeing is a backlash against the more organised events.

“This generation are now kicking against that and going back to grass-roots and having raves back in the heart of the countryside.”

article
here

also,check the entry here for Sunday 27th and youll find its almost word for word ,the same quote used in the article