Here you can read news articles I have collected about how the early dance era started in England in the late 1980s.
My home city of Portsmouth was one of the first cities outside of London to take the rave culture to its heart and run with it for many years to follow. The first one I remember was a house party in Fratton then, Mile End Chapel in 1987 then the Magical Mystery time in a warehouse in Hilsea, beach parties, forts, farms, barns, castles, and many forests and fields in Hampshire in 1988 to 1994 until the Criminal Justice Bill come into force banning events with repetitive beats:) This was when parties started to go back indoors into clubs.
As you can see the media demonised the scene just as they did with Jazz, Rock’n’ Roll, Psychedelia, Rock, Reggae, Punk Rock and finally Rave yet if there is one thing we have all learned from history is that the rebels, mavericks and alternative creative types are usually proven right as with the evils of war, civil rights, women’s rights, workers rights, climate change, sustainability, cannabis, capitalism, vegetarianism and the progression of music and art.
The dance culture joined all fractions together in a peaceful fun way and really began as a movement for change and more freedom for festivals as Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher had banned them after the infamous Stonehenge battle of the beanfield in 1985 which saw some shocking police violence.
It seems there is a bit of a resurgence with the young people now who are more politically savvy and having successful events in warehouses, countryside or beaches with no trouble with the police as long as it is not too big or noisy and you clean up your rubbish after I can’t see the problem either;)
I will keep adding to this story as I remember things, or send me your memories and I will add to this but please keep it clean
Rave Joke:
How many old ravers does it take to change a light bulb?
100… one to change it and 99 to say great the old one was ;)
