7th–9th August 1991– Spiral Tribe and Sweat soundsystems at Torpedo Town Festival at Bramshot Common, Hampshire

Updated- some of the Youtube links were broken.

We try and keep an eye out for broken links/deleted video/mixes etc but please let us know if anything seems wonky or missing

Please note: this covers the 1991 festival, here are links to the 1990 and 1992 festivals of the same name.

Here are (possibly different versions of) the tunes Tim Acid and Dunk mentioned hearing at this party (see comments):

Here’s a picture and some quotes from Andy Brown’s wonderful but hard to find book ‘Rave: The Spiritual Dimension’. If anyone else has anything to add about this, please send it in

In 1991, the festival was 5 miles further north along the A3 and the turnout was even higher at a cool 12,000… Torpedo Town 1991 mushroomed into existence on a Friday night, grew at a phenomenal rate for all of Saturday, sustained itself through Sunday and then, on account of an M.O.D. injunction, had completely disappeared by Tuesday, except of course for the burned out wreck of a coach which looked like a crashed spaceship. The land itself was I think a M.O.D. common, mainly scrub trees and grass with broken, disused tarmac roads. When we first arrived on the Friday night things were a bit quiet so we took it easy. We parked up in a lane thing and pitched our tents right near. To start off with there were hardly any tents but things didn’t stay that way for long. As more people arrived, a right of way formed through our piece or real estate. What had been a hardly used path through the ferns when we arrived, was now one of the main routes for ravers collecting firewood from the forest. What had happened was that the quiet suburbs which were quite near to the dancefloors had turned into prime sites. Anyway, we had a good spot so we weren’t bothered. At its peak, the city had streets, all heaving with bright eyed happy people, so many that sometimes the paths were so completely rammed with bodies that you couldn’t move at all. This festival really was a city and it even had its own booming economy. I don’t think I need to say what were the main commodities but just as in any established city, you could buy anything you wanted from food to clothes- even a haircut. I was so happy, I cannot stress that too much, really, really, really good times. The totally awesome atmosphere generated at these festivals can be overwhelming… It no exaggeration that once experienced, these festivals can change your life.

3rd–6th August 1990: Torpedo Town Free Festival at Chapel Common, Hampshire

Please note: this covers the 1990 festival, here are links to the 1991 and 1992 festivals of the same name.

I’ve just realised, this post is NOT about a party that happened between 1991 and 1994! Oh no!

Actually it doesn’t matter. The only reason I originally decided to limit this blog to the years 1991-1994 was that those were the years in which I experienced some fantastic parties. As this blog grows, and as I run out of stories to tell, I realise what a tiny drop in the ocean my own experiences are, and how great it is to hear other people’s stories.

This page includes some vague and amusing information about the 1990 festy: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/torpedo-town-free-festival.html .Including this quote:

There was a bit of agro between travellers and the young free party goers, especially when it emerged that some young entrepreneurs where charging an entrance fee to unsuspecting arrivals in cars, the was a rumour that a couple of coaches arrived for a rave that they’d paid 25 quid for, whether this was really true I never found out.

This was pre-Spiral Tribe, so I don’t know which soundsystems were there, does anyone? ;P

Here’s an excerpt from a self-published book on the early nineties free party scene by someone called Andy Brown. It’s a fantastic book full of spaced out enthusiastic ramblings and great descriptions of free parties and festivals. The name says it all really: Rave: The Spiritual Dimension.I found this in the British Library, and have sadly never seen another copy. Andy Brown, if you’re out there, please get in touch, I feel guilty publishing this without your permission. There was an address in the book for contacting you but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s decades out of date!

The festival was triggered off in the early 1980’s as a protest against the development of a place called Brambles Farm into a torpedo factory… ever since Brambles Farm was developed, the festival has been held at a different site each year. Things really started to move in 1990 when some clued-up people took some scratching record decks and strobe lights to the the Torpedo Town event at Chapel Common near Rake. It is dark, you’ve just parked up in some lane and are climbing over the brow of a hill towards the flickering strobes and thumping bass. You think the authorities are going to bust the whole thing at any moment and the buzz that gets going is just too much. The beat goes right through you and an amazing feeling rises from your stomach. It feels so good, it is as if you are going to explode with pleasure… In daylight you could see the whole site of what must have been at least 200 acres. There were two encampments: Travellers and their buses on one side of the valley and Ravers on the other. That festival was definitely one of the most wonderful times of my life… Nowadays of course we’re lucky to get one-weekend festivals and a bonus at Chapel Common was that it lasted for more than two weeks and had two party weekends. As far as the authorities are concerned, once these events reach a certain size, a critical mass you could call it, they are far too hot to handle so they just let them burn themselves out.

7th–10th August 1992– Spiral Tribe and others at Torpedo Town Festival at Romsey and Otterbourne, Hampshire

Please note: this covers the 1992 festival, here are links to the 1990 and 1991 festivals of the same name.

I need your help again, fellow freepartypeople Any ideas of rigs in attendance at this festy? Also, any memories? Or photos?

Here’s a link to reports on the Torpedo Town festy from ‘82 to ‘91: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/torpedo-town-free-festival.html , as well as this year’s: http://www.ukrockfestivals.com/torpedo-town-festival-1992.html.

And here’s a report from our raving reporter par excellence, Amino Clang:

Otterbourne Site:

We set off late again so by the time we were lost in the countryside it was pitch black except for the passing trees lit up by the headlamps of the Rave Mobile (a beat up white fiesta if I remember correctly) and the odd car going the other way. The drive to parties was usually accompanied by driving beats to keep us awake and get us in the mood.

Don’t ask me how, but eventually we ended up parking the car on the side of a road (along with hundreds of others) and set off on the long walk past the police roadblock (a load of railway sleepers that had been put across the road), down a VERY long road and onto the site.

My mate, The Driver, had spent the afternoon sewing tiny little glowsticks (available at all good fishing tackle shops) onto the knuckles of his white gloves for that extra edge to his dancing. He cracked the glowsticks on the walk down this massive road and was waving them about in a hardcore raver style most of the way. As we got closer to the site we passed some people who were walking the other way. They had seen The Driver raving away and weren’t too sure if they were about to get abducted by aliens or if they were just seeing things. They seemed quite relieved to see that it was just a raver and that he was real after all!

Anyway… we finally made it onto the site by walking through a gate onto the field and headed for the nearest sound system. It was a UV experience to say the least! It was still very dark out and the backdrops were looking fantastic under the UV and of course The Driver was in his element – glowing teeth, glowing gloves and glowing glowsticks. It still makes me grin when I remember it now!

Anyway… we didn’t stay there very long and off we trotted in the direction of the “Massive Factory Building Of Some Sort” (I guess we were either looking for friends or drugs or (probably) both). It was late and I hadn’t slept and I didn’t have any money for drugs so I just followed the group into this massive building full of ravers generally taking the piss. I don’t like it when raves are used as an excuse for vandalism, freedom to do what you want doesn’t mean you can be a 2@ and get away with it. So anyway, I wasn’t too happy about being in this building, but eventually I guess we found what we were looking for because I was given some E and we wandered off to find a sound system (thank fuck!).

For some reason this is where my memory becomes sketchy (who’d a thunk it!?!) so allow me to bullet point…

1. I remember that it was getting light when we left the building.

2. I remember wobbling about on top of a muddy hill near a sound system watching this geezer dancing. He must have been tripping because he was watching his arms move as intently as I was, moving like a fluid robot drawing geometrical shapes in the air with the traces coming off his arms. I can’t remember if he had his t-shirt hanging out of his back pocket, but he probably did, I can’t remember if he had a pony tail, curtains or a sun hat on, but it must have been one of the three, I can’t even remember if he had a whistle or a dummy or white gloves on, but I reckon it’s a safe bet!

All this talk of stereotypes has got me thinking. Let’s hold the mirror up to Clang for a minute…

I was almost certainly wearing some trippy t-shirt, possibly tie-die, possibly with my star sign on it, maybe even my URL t-shirt with the half Acid House Smiley and half Robo-Smiley logo on it. I will have been wearing some ridiculously bright home-made trousers (my favourites were the blue/green/red/yellow geometric patterned ones and the purple ones with little dayglo green wormy shapes on them). I must have been wearing my dayglo fleece and I probably had my tennis hat on (it was basically a sun hat with the words set, match and love sewn into it) and this was definitely accessorised with a nice home made badge made out of Fimo.) It was a round navy blue badge with glow-in-the-dark edging and a glow-in-the-dark E on it. If I wasn’t wearing my hat I will have been sporting the long-fringe-slicked-back-over-the-short-sides hairdo (I was working towards a pony tail and thank god I never made it that far!) Around my neck will have been any of the following, or maybe all of them: a crystal, a whistle, a home made Fimo pendant with a Purple Ohm on it, a lighter on a string and maybe another crystal for good measure. I usually had a bag with me too (dayglo backpack of course) which would have a bottle of Robbinsons Apple and Blackcurrant and my glow-in-the-dark juggling balls in it. Right, now we are on a level playing field, let me get back to Torpedo Town…

3. I remember seeing somebody else wearing a spiral tribe t-shirt (grey with black print), but it said “Make Some Fluffy Toys” instead of the Spirals’ usual war cry!

4. I remember sitting in the back of an old ambulance that was somebody’s excellent rave-mobile as the sun came up properly. Just chilling out in the sun smoking and talking shite, as you do.

5. I remember volunteering to go and get the tent out of the car for The Driver (well he had driven and we needed to get some stuff too) so me and another mate started the long walk back to the car…

1. I remember passing a few police vans and shitloads of ravers going back and forth up and down this road.
2. I remember walking along and looking out across the fields and seeing each blade of grass move at a different speed. Kind of difficult to describe this one, let me try again… In computer games that scroll across the screen, they make it look like a 3d image by using a technique known as parallax scrolling where the front layers (trees etc) will move quickly, while the background layers (hills etc) move much slower to give the effect of depth. Well, we could see each blade of grass scrolling at a different speed to give the impression of depth. Well… we were impressed anyway and we spent quite a bit of time walking back and forth watching this amazing phenomenon!
3. I remember somebody stopping us to skin up a spliff and talk about the party but we decided that his questions were all too suspicious (“do they look like they are going to be stopping soon?” , “Don’t worry about the pigs going by, I’ll just skin up this spliff and be on my way.”, etc) so we were pleased to say goodbye.
4. I remember getting back to the car and while we were sorting out our stuff to bring back to the party (tent, food, water, etc) a copper told us we had to move the car or he would ticket it and if it was still here in an hour he would ticket it again. Well neither of us could drive (even if we were straight) so we picked up our stuff and got a hustle on to get back to tell The Driver about his parking predicament.

6. I remember carrying the camping gear ALL THE WAY back to the site in a mad rush to pass on the message and immediately turning around to leave again. Allow me to elaborate…

7. I remember getting back to the site totally exhausted and walking past a fire engine that was refusing to go onto site without a police escort. I remember wondering why it was there at all!

8. I remember watching the plumes of smoke pouring out of the “Massive Factory Building Of Some Sort” as we sat in the sun with such happy times surrounding us, but such a depressing reminder in front of us of “The Morons Who Like To Ruin A Good Party” who latched onto the rave scene where they could be free to be idiots without anybody judging them or telling them that actually, maybe setting light to a building isn’t really in the spirit of a nice time for all!

9. I remember the vibe taking a bit of a dip right there and then, so we left Site 1 of Torpedo Town and didn’t look back.

Anarchy=Responsibility.

Romsey Site:

I have some vague memories of driving back into a town, going to a shop, parking up and making our way onto the second site of Torpedo Town.

What fuckin’ bliss!!

After leaving such a horrible site (or should that be sight?) we was right pleased to find this place. Happy people, soft grassy fields surrounded by trees, ravers chilling out in the sun, tipis, traveller vehicles, more friends and Spiral Tribe were in the area!

The rumour goes that Spiral Tribe had their decks confiscated on the way onto this site and so they were playing tapes instead of mixing vinyl, but I wouldn’t have been able to tell the difference at the time anyway and as long the beat didn’t stop I was happy.

We set up the tent and proceeded to chill out for the day and just make the most of being somewhere so calm and peaceful (despite the Spirals Making Some Fuckin’ Noise!… no, scratch that… BECAUSE the Spirals were Making Some Fuckin’ Noise).

This is where I was given one of those “Bury your shit” flyers that were going about at the time (I was not impressed when my mum chucked it away along with my other Spiral Tribe flyers and those two-tone posters (one was black-on-white and the other was white-on-black) with the Spiral Tribe 23 face grinning at you) and I just remember seeing a traveller type walking purposefully towards a wooded area when one of his mates shouted for him and threw a shovel to him. I was never a traveller and I never stayed out for more than two nights anyway so I used to use the suppress-your-diet-and-clench method rather than the take-a-shovel-with-you method.

Anyway, the day passed, we met up with some more friends, took some more E and got things movin’ and shakin’ again. Back to the bullets…

1. I remember dancing in front of the Spiral Tribe Sound System with a big fuckin’ smile on my face, waving my hands in the air, surrounded by my friends and feeling more at home than ever. I still can’t beat that feeling.

2. I remember walking back and forth between the tent and the sound system, walking faster, stumbling more and getting more lost each time we tried to run the gauntlet.

3. I remember… not much else! Just wobbling about, giggling, dancing, falling over, gibbering, jabbering and generally spiralling about the place getting into the spirit of it all.

Bass + E + Friends = Joy!

Freepartypeople says: Here’s a comment from Ed:

Tekno travellers rocked it at the one where the factory nearby got set alight!! I had 2 pills 2 acid and 2 speed, it rained and I stashed my clothes in the tekno travs speaker boxes while ravin in me pants!! the wooden sound of the tts boxes fuckin rocked it all night long (and all day) until the factory fire fucked things up…altho I did have a paranoid time thinkin everyone was undercover old bill!!