Hello Graudian readers! Thanks for visiting, but thanks to a mistake on this page, this isn’t the page you’re looking for! Click here for the Castlemorton Common free festival page. Cheers!
A disused quarry in Gloucestershire was the venue for this 8,000/10,00/15,000-strong free technofesty blowout. Who counts the numbers anyway ;P If it was based on the number of cars it would be an underestimate- 4 people per car was the absolute minimum those days. Police estimates are always ALWAYS under (for obvious reasons), especially at ‘oppositional’ events e.g. free unlicensed 3-day festivals, reclaim the streets etc. demonstrations.
Anyway, Atomic Robot Man, who drove us to this party (did I ever say thanks?– thanks!), just sent me this scan of his rave diary:
Missed Castlemorton due to leaving my brain at Lechlade. A long drive up. I think we got the location of the party from the news reports:
When we arrived we had a jittery moment because the police stopped our car on the way in. FFFFFFffffUUUUUCCCCkkkkk! Oh no, it’s OK, they’re just telling us where to park, politely. A few metres away a dealer was standing in the middle of the road bellowing “Rhubarb and Custards! Callies!”
This blue and orange marquee was Circus Warp’s (I think, always hard to tell with these things..) I also remember a load of far out UV stuff dangling from the roof of their tent, including bicycle wheels. Also a mad max robot and some red/orange speakers too:
A fantastic atmosphere but there was a little friction between the hippies and the ravers- heard a few expensively dressed ravers getting harangued by the crusties: “OOOOOooooh dress to IMPRESS!”. Oh yeah, and someone laughed at my hat. I deserved it for sure 
Other sights and sounds:
Flinching at the sheer excessive volume of the beat coming from the Spiral system in the blazing sunlight on Sunday morning, when we felt particularly fragile.
A brew crew/keta/acid/whatever casualty rolling around on the ground trying to scratch the tattoo off his arm.
A bunch of well-spoken but off-their-tits Oxford medical students who came and sat in our car, and jabbered with us for either 3 minutes or three hours.
A misty and gentle sunrise over one of the huge trout ponds (which, incidentally, contained huge trout).
Seeing some poor fucker who’d overdone it being carted away.
Finding a lost crusty puppy.
Taking photos of ourselves and the next week wondering what the nice girl in Boots thought was wrong with our faces in the pictures.
The aftermath:
It was even mentioned in the Commons:
Sir David Mitchell (Hampshire, North-West) :
I noticed that on the spring bank holiday about 30,000 people attended a pop festival at Lechlade in Gloucestershire, and if more itinerants and hippies come to my constituency in the pre-solstice period, the noise disturbance, the petty crime and the filth that they will leave behind will cause my constituents great anxiety.
also
On 21 June, the summer solstice arrives and large numbers of hippies, itinerants and new-age travellers can be expected. Some of my constituents call them by names that cannot be expressed in parliamentary language.
November 7, 2006 at 2:45 pm |
I remember an amusing moment from the Lechlade free party. I was living in a truck at the time and had several off my non-crusty friends visiting the festival and hanging around in my wagon. I think it was the Sunday by now and the police were probably getting desperate to be seen to be doing something about the situation. We were standing outside a party tent at the West side of the site listening to the sounds banging out. Trying to off load some bits of square paper, of very dubious quality, no thanks for that one Mark (the Shark), you know who you are! Next thing you know a geezer known as Gobby Gary comes racing onto the site in a beat up old car with a lone Motorcycle cop following him heroically into the muddy field. Gary jumped out of the car with his mates and disappeared effortlessly into the crowds. Poor Mr Plod didn’t share his luck though and ended up getting his bike stuck in the mud. Within a few seconds he was surrounded by crusties who started taunting him and mockingly banging him on the head with sticks. With much softer blows than the police give to crusties with their sticks I might add. We just stood there laughing uncontrollably! Can anyone remember what happened next?
February 22, 2007 at 1:59 pm |
pud is that you mate?i loved them old parties,those were the days.
Nope, I’m not pud, but I agree, those were the days
March 3, 2007 at 12:19 pm |
Absolutely wicked! The best ‘daze’ of my life, never to be forgotten!Thanks for the memories.
June 1, 2007 at 4:46 pm |
fuckin wicked festi, we done them good ,the old bill,never will be likeit was cos we’re ill europe now havin it in good style
June 8, 2009 at 4:40 pm |
Is that you Chick? If it is find me on the spiral tribe site. I hope you are good and behaving yourself. Steve P
June 8, 2009 at 5:14 pm |
My user mane is BCCOAT
August 9, 2007 at 10:12 pm |
good old days before ketamin when people went to parties to dance,will we see them again?
August 25, 2007 at 7:44 pm |
looking back it has to be the best party i have ever been too!wicked up the swindon massive!
September 14, 2007 at 2:38 pm |
i was there for days danced on speaker in circus warp tent one of the best parties ever
September 28, 2007 at 6:20 pm |
Yep did friday to monday crazy party. Rember cupid and the robot and a sea of people saturday night around the spiral system And just getting into peoples cars and chatting shit and swapping stuff!.Does anyone remember seeing Roger Cook? nutter grabbed my arm and started blurting something about drugs and filth, just give him the vs and laughed.He had his film crew with him dont think any of them lasted long before they got told to do one lol. Completley twisted from start to finish briiliant !!
December 26, 2007 at 1:36 pm |
well talk about going back in time I just found this site I was traveling around with circus warp in 92 just after my first rave at Lechlade as I lived in on site in swindon and I had been to Hungerford festival the week b4. After this weekend I never missed another until the end of 93 where everything was going pete tong big time and everyone was going there seperate ways from circus warp, curcus extreme and d.i.y, spiral tribe so I decided to join society and move to the north of england and get a job, house and a legal car pmsl. Now I’m single I live in London and had a good year of doing free partys in Suffolk society sucks… So I’m leaving it all behind….
February 3, 2008 at 8:43 am |
The stub axle collapsed on my trailer on the way to Lechlade so I ditched the poxy sprite and settled on a stay in the dog kenel. A rather dejected looking ‘blackhead’, for that was his name, was left outside the kennel while two pairs of boots and four grubby legs stuck out the front. I managed to pull but imagine her surprise when I showed her my temporary des res. I travelled with Circus Normal for a number of years and generally marauded around the countryside and cities having more fun than is decent and proper. Love to all those who were part of it.
March 15, 2008 at 12:56 pm |
I did festies 89-94 and a lot more! Those were the days of total anarchy…the best days of my life! Drugs ,alcohol, fighting the pigs, wot a life style! and so many of us up for it!!! where has it all gone? Why did it end? I stopped travelling when the old a-series finally gave up and wouldnt start no more and id had a guts full of everyone turning to smack and rave music came from speakers that use to blast punk! But i still live in a trailer pay no council tax ,aint on no electrol register, cant vote,wont vote, hate society…still living my dream of anarchy…but with a much clearer head not clouded by brew or speed! Im living my life like i did then…with no one telling me how too!!!!!!!!!!!!!
March 17, 2008 at 9:22 pm |
so close to ditching the rented bedsit, overdraft, job and car….
March 21, 2008 at 11:31 pm |
I was on the scene ‘88-’97. I did my first festival – Glastonbury Tor 8/8/88 at the tender age of 17. It was high times and fast living, so ‘out there’ not everyone made it back. 1997 I finally packed my crack and smack addled body off to rehab!!! Living in London now – on the art scene, off the drugs mostly (- do the odd party and e/mdma out in Wales but not so often) but having a drink now and then – swerved the 12 step ‘total abstinence’ lark. Got two kids now, a lovely partner and live in a co-op in East London with a part-time job and an art studio practice to support us – so still resisting, to some extent, the ’straight’ life. Spare a thought to all those young lives that didn’t make it this far – we were dropping like flies when inner city junkie culture caught up with us – Tania Dickinson (19), Gin(g)er (22)?), Teresa (Treacle) 20-22? from the Bristol/South West scene early ’90’s…and all the others too numerous to mention – love and memories.
I didn’t make Castle Moreton to much regret, after Lechlade I ended up in Turkey on some mad mission.
Anyone in East London, or London for that matter who fancies a reminiscing reunion about the old days post a reply.
July 13, 2008 at 5:42 pm |
Hi all,
Can anyone tell me if the Swindon rave has 1 open air arena and 1 indoor marquee? I remember going to a Spiral Tribe rave in Swindon on the Saturday, Sunday and Monday I also remember Easygroove dj’ing in in marquee on the Monday?
I went to quite a few in 91 and 92 and my last one was Castlemorton..I was 16/17 years old and can defintely say they were the best days of my life…at the time I didnt realise what I was witnessing/involved in!
What I would pay for one of those capsules now lol
Alex
July 30, 2008 at 4:31 pm |
hardcore days,still got my holey circus warp t shirt, tho how the fuck they got it together to print them only angels know!!!
November 11, 2009 at 7:06 pm |
holy circus warp t shirt…more precious than tha turin shroud!
August 8, 2008 at 8:42 pm |
I remember sitting down with a bunch of mates and then Circus Warp built a tent over us..then the sound system started up and people were dancing all around us! This must have taken all day to set up but for some reason it seemed like only a few moments to us
I remember everyone cheering when loads of horse-drawn wagons turned up too! I think it had taken them about a week to get there
August 27, 2008 at 9:21 pm |
Oh those were the days of being free and partying hard. How I ever made it through alive I don’t know.
Lechlade and Castlemorton were the moset memorable for me.
I danced for days at Castlemorton, when I had to go back to work on the tuesday I was so stiff a little granny with a zimmerframe beat me up the hill lol. Good times
I have been loking at all the old photos doted around the web and recognised so many people from those days
If your life does flash before you eyes before you die I hope there are plenty of those old parties there lol
Ju
November 17, 2008 at 7:06 am |
I hitched up to this party via a request on Touchdown FM…. Getting there was great and thanks to the MG that took us there at 80 mph through fog!!!
Getting back now that’s another story
What a party though!
December 5, 2008 at 9:45 am |
anyone remeber the first night when there was only the bedlum crew playing in there small tent there was some fire breathing nutter, thought the whole lot was going to go up.
also remeber the ketamin hit was just getting underway roobarbs with ket, there where a few at the roundhouse on it but at this party evryone seemed to be going out of body.
touchdown fm fuck forgot about them
January 9, 2009 at 6:15 pm |
eny one rememember jumparound john jumpin on that coppers head shouting boing boing jumparond jumparond when the pig grabed john 4 lobing that speacial brewe can at crack pipe keith ?and no nose mike from glastos who had his noze bit off and soed back on lol loland pendle hexen all the ravers for living in houses thoze were the days lol love it????live it still do
February 9, 2009 at 12:11 am |
Hi Jules, for it must be you, Normals and a dog called blackhead, can’t be many of them? Don’t suppose you’ll ever come back to this site to read this but just in case u do, it’s me Lou, last time I saw u I was horsedrawn, n’ stuck in Winchester with a pony called Flicker who was havin’ a foal called Ned, don’t think I had my dog Elsa by then? I may have bumped into u later on site in London at kingsland rd/ laburnham st. I’m still with Alty by the way, if that rings any bells (K9) but anyway I’m still hangin’ in there just about, although more virtual than real these days, partywise that is. Yep they were good parties n’ Good to hear you’re still out there somewhere in the ether. Lou
April 30, 2009 at 9:26 pm |
I remember hearing there was going to be a big rave at lechlade and being into spiral tribe i just had to go, living just down the road in watchfield where the pop festivals used to be held i couldnt believe something so big was just about to happen on my own door step. So off i went and what a time i had. Everything you wanted on tap the jewson lot.As soon as my parents see it on the main/and local news my dad said our Dawn will be there. I still party now and im 42 this june but try to keep it to the smaller local raves mainly ridgeway and cotswolds sometimes if the mood takes me might go for it and go up to Dunstable area but its so easy to get back into i try not to go to often. Dont like all this K stuff though see lots of people rolling around on the floor and not dancing, surely thats what its all about aint it. Ive three kids 17,18,and 25 and they all rave some may say im a bad influence on my kids but at least they dont go around mugging and beating up people hey. Keep partying ravers. Motheraver
June 1, 2009 at 8:48 pm |
I had been to many free parties from the original Circus Warp party in Whiteshill, Chipping Sodbury, Oxford parties etc. White Goddess, Round House etc but this one eclipsed them all.
Arrived at 6pm Saturday and danced till Monday 12.30pm, the beat was relentless and never dropped for a minute. The vibe, intensity and music was the best. I remember when the music finally had to stop on Monday evening everybody just applauded and clapped.
Never forget the childern dancing on the buses and veicles on Sunday afternoon around the Spiral system.
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!!!
August 1, 2009 at 12:09 am |
what a weekend, robbed a safe of a couple of grand straight to the rave, and wow wanted to stay forever and god what were those rhubarbs stuffed with? had to smoke a whole 8th to level out then thought bollox lets have a couple more loved the circus warp tent was there a weed drought we seemed to be the only ones with any for a while, then inn the morning spiral banging out some hard stuff, and the hippies telling them to turn it down ha ha no chance great days the best
September 3, 2009 at 12:28 pm |
ive got video footage from this party soon to be editted …
freepartypeople says: fantastic! we’d love to see it, let us know when it’s ready
I wonder if the freepartypeople are on film, hope not ;P
September 30, 2009 at 7:00 pm |
superb party…..went from site in norfolk got to hungerford i think where there was a massive police operation and the 4 us got searched but not very as we all had plenty sweeties of the red n yellow variety…..anyway asked random local who pointed us in the right direction and off we trotted happily and partied for 3 of the best daze eva
October 4, 2009 at 11:22 am |
At Lechlade , there was another system away from the Warp tent playing from a trailer in between the Massive White tent,was that Spirals?
Is anyone in contact with Oxford Jamie who used to live with Rosa for a while?
Would love to get back in contact that group of Travellers.
Bob
freepartypeople say:
The open air rig was the Spirals. Their rig was to the left of Circus Warp’s tent (which you can see in the third photo at the top of this page), and the big white tent (the first two photos) was somewhere very near.
However I don’t recall spending much time in the Spiral Tribe bit, I think I was in the Circus Warp tent for at least some of the time, I definitely recall sitting down in there before the music started, and I know I was dancing in there for a while, and that I came back there sometime after it had got light in the morning.
My clearest memories of Spiral Tribe at Lechlade were seeing people dancing on a vehicle’s roof, seeing some messed up case on the ground in front of their rig, and wandering past it thinking ‘ooh this is FAR TOO LOUD’. That was all on the Sunday morning I think.
There are two more photos on Alan ‘Tash’ Lodge’s site- http://tash.gn.apc.org/gal_pty1.htm
Does anyone out there have any more photos of Lechlade?
October 24, 2009 at 9:59 pm |
Just readin through some of these blogs, Castelmorton was the party that all parties aspire to be but will never come close! Big up To all those Who are still sane enough to remember and straight enough to read this.
Spirals, and all you techno travelers you are legends (Cathy gutted to hear about your accident in spain) Bedlam likewise (mark, you da man) sp32 Thicker than mud