Although we had heard that Fun-de-mental were there no-one has confirmed it so we had to remove them. We never came across them in our limited wanderings, which doesn’t really mean much, so anyone confirm that they were there, either as part of a bigger rig or on their own? Thanks!
We’ve heard that Spiral didn’t have their sound system there, but used Bedlam’s. We have left their name in the title as we know there was a lot of cross-pollination between the two crews and we also see they brought their backdrops and some vehicles. Did they bring some DJs too? Let us know.
Also, we added Techno Travellers as we believe it was their rig in the Circus Warp tent.
There was one smaller system turned up on Sunday morning that we have seen photos of. If you know who that was let us know 🙂
Again, thanks Simon K for the newspaper clipping, we didn’t even know this photo of Lechlade from the air existed.
Transcripts of the accompanying newspaper article, plus a couple more, are below, again courtesy to Simon K 🙂
The hippy invasion
By Barry Leighton
A SMALL rural town was last night the centre of a massive illegal party after an invasion by thousands of hippies and ravers.
As many as 10,000 people gathered in a disused quarry at Lechlade, near Swindon, for a rave which threatens to carry on today.
Stunned families watched in amazement as as some 2,000 new-age travellers began arriving in the sleepy Cotswold town in a ragged assortment of vehicles on Friday and Saturday.
They were followed by an estimated 8,000 ravers on Saturday night who helped turn what was originally intended as an ancient pagan celebration into a huge dance party.
Bulky sound-systems pumped out non-stop dance music throughout the day and night as police, unable to halt such vast numbers, stood by.
Last night, as more people threatened to pour in for the ongoing party, angry locals demanded to know why it had been allowed to take place.
Families in the picture-postcard town on the banks of the Thames are also seeking action to ensure that such an event is never staged there again.
Mr Ian Cook, whose recently built detached house is just over the road from the festival site, said: “I object to the mess, the sanitation problems, the amount it’s going to cost the poll tax payers to clean up.
“We moved here for some peace and quiet, it’s disgusting.”
The land is owned by ARC who applied for an injunction after a small group of travellers arrived last Tuesday.
On Friday, Thames Valley police prevented what was becoming an annual May Day pagan fertility festival at Hungerford.
Instead the travellers set off in a convoy of battered lorries, buses and vans for Lechlade where a reserve site had been earmarked.
By Friday night some 350 vehicles were camped on the grassy site and a huge former circus tent was erected.
Word spread and on Saturday thousands of young people converged on Lechlade from all over the West, London and the Midlands for a huge illegal rave.
Some 4,000 cars and vans were parked on grass verges and roundabouts in and around the site on the edge of town.
The authorities laid on water supplies, rubbish sacks and skips for festival goers to dump garbage.
The small town, which usually requires just one policeman, was swollen to more than double its normal population.
Gloucestershire police, with help from neighbouring Wiltshire and Thames Valley constabularies, were unable to stop traffic pouring into Lechlade.
Drugs
Chief Inspector John Parsons said that all police could do was ensure that the roads were clear and isolate the site as much as possible.
He said they knew drugs were being used but that police had decided not to go on site as it would present all sorts of problems.
Cotswold councillor for Lechlade, Mrs Pat Pretty (Ind), who was at the scene yesterday, [rest of article missing]
HIPPIE SHAKER!
By MANDY CANN
ADVERTISER STAFF
Village rocked by party-goers
TEN thousand would-be a revellers looking for party shattered villagers’ peace.
Stunned residents of Lechlade, near Swindon, watched in disbelief as nearly 10,000 ravers descended on a disused quarry near the village on Saturday night.
Cars lined grass verges and choked roads as people swarmed into the area hoping to attend an illegal party on the quarry site.
But they soon left when the party they had hoped for turned out to be new age travellers listening to music and not a rave.
Gloucestershire police stepped up their presence in Lechlade and the surrounding
villages but made only five arrests on Saturday night.
About 1,000 travellers and 500 vehicles moved into a quarry on
“Our sleepy little village is not sleepy any more”
Friday to celebrate the ancient May Day festival of Beltane.
They parked vehicles in a circle around the quarry and were listening to live music.
The travellers were still on the site celebrating the festival today.
Insp Eddie Whitlock said: “I think the ravers who turned up were expecting something a bit different, and as some left others came, and the numbers fluctuated all night.”
Peter Randell, landlord of the Crown Inn, in the High Street said: ‘It is not that the travellers are a problem, but the number of them is.
“They have been arriving since Friday, but we don’t see them at night. It is in the day when we notice them wandering around the village.
“It is a bit of a worry and you have to be on your guard in case anything happens, but I don’t think they are really causing any big problems.”
Penny Warren, landlady of The Trout Inn said: “Our sleepy little village isn’t sleepy any more, and we have never seen so many people in one place at any one time. But they are not causing us any problems at all.”
A resident, who refused to be named, said: “There are all sorts of people milling around but they are not doing anybody any harm. I always say live and let live.”
The site is owned by quarry company ARC which applied for an injunction after a small group of travellers arrived on Tuesday.
Western Daily Press Wednesday 8th May:
Villages go on hippy invasion alert
VILLAGERS across the West were last night waiting in fear to see where thousands of New Age travellers would move next after a massive festival came to a close.
Fewer than 1,000 travellers and 400 vehicles were still at the quarry in Lechlade, near Swindon, last night after around 10,000 people spent two days and nights at a Bank Holiday illegal rave party.
Police said 53 arrests had been made during the weekend, mainly for drug-related offences, but there had been little trouble considering it was such a large gathering.
Yesterday concern focused on where the hard-core of around 2,000 new age travellers, many still at the quarry, would move next.
Mr David Durbin, town clerk of nearby Cirencester said: “I really hope the town is safe. We are relying on the forces of law and order to protect us.
And Cirencester and Tewkesbury MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, whose constituency includes the site of the illegal rave, criticised authorities in Hungerford, from where many of the travellers came.
“It should have been possible for them to establish where they are going to descend next.
“After this every landowner has got to be concerned about travellers moving around and descending illegally on private property.
“It is quite intolerable that hippies should descend on someone’s land and just stay there. I do not see why these people should not have to behave like other citizens.
Gloucestershire assistant chief constable Nigel Burgess said travellers were leaving individually rather than in a convoy that could be tracked through the county.
“We don’t exactly know where they are going and I am sure many of them don’t know where they are going themselves, he said.
Police have ruled out use of the Public Order Act to arrest and remove remaining travellers as likely to spark greater disruption in Lechlade than residents have already suffered.
Quarry owner ARC yesterday heard its application for an injunction to force the remaining travellers to move on would not be heard until tomorrow.
One of the travellers said there had been no trouble at all and the festival had shown that such events could pass of [sic] peacefully.
Jamie’s images from Lechlade below. His photos are also in the Roundway Hill post. And a memory of his: nice to know you were at Lechlade too, we stayed until Sunday too, it was a good mayhem!! I think I stayed in bed for about a week after that one 😀
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!
Here is a new report from reliable raver Simon M:
No idea [how we heard about it]. But I think the original information I had was that it was going to be in Hungerford and possibly put on by an organisation called Asylum? Think we left from Bridport. We would have got details of the location along the way but who from I don’t know. Did we have a number to call? We might have seen fellow ravers at a petrol station, and as we got closer to the site we would have joined a convoy of cars.
[We got there] early evening. First impressions were how huge it was; cars and traveller vehicles everywhere. We were worried about there being so many police but when I wound down my window to speak to one all he wanted to tell me was where to park. …how busy it was, and how loud it was and as we approached the first sound system it got more and more intense and people looked more and more gaunt like they’d been drugged up and dancing for hours.
I seem to remember D taking me off around the site trying to score and we ended up sharing a joint with some people in the back of their Luton van. They had turntables and it was decked out like a chill out room. I got the feeling they were posh travellers. Nice though.
I do remember spending most of our time at Circus Warp. Best music, best decor, best vibe. I’ve got written down that I had a Roobarb & Custard, Black Sun (acid?) and a gram of speed.
I seem to remember dancing a lot, mostly at Circus Warp. I think I had my spy sunglasses on, with mirrors in the sides so you could see behind you, but while dancing and nodding your head it gave a really good extra dimension to the rhythm of dancing. I also remember dancing on my own and I kept thinking I was seeing people I knew but when I went up to them it wasn’t who I thought it was. I remember seeing some very straight looking people dancing and figured out they were probably locals from Lechlade, come down to see what all the fuss was about and decided to stay and party.
Can’t remember any actual tunes at Circus Warp but they played excellent breakbeat the whole time. In the morning Spiral played Digeridoo and there was a very nutty looking guy who looked high as a kite flinging his arms in the air to the beat.
Was it at Lechlade that there was the guy in orange trousers and floppy hat dancing on the roof of a van grinning and pointing at people and dancing in the most funky way? Someone on freepartypeople must know who he is.
We spent quite a lot of time in the car listening in amazement as the Orbital remixes seemed to ricochet around the inside of the car. I did my usual of spending what seemed like hours trying to roll a joint, only to find the papers were the wrong way round. Felt drugged up to the eyeballs, unable to move and had to wait until things got less intense before we could venture back outside.
[On the Sunday morning] I think we saw some very out of it travellers get into car (off on a Brew mission I think) and somehow drove it around people and tents and other cars through the field without hitting a thing.
I don’t remember any tension [between travellers and ravers], but I do remember seeing a traveller lying in the field in front of the Spiral sound system and a raver going to shake his hand and trying to lift him up. The raver was putting everything into lifting up the traveller and the traveller, in his blissed out state was remaining on the grass and in my mind it turned into a struggle between urban and rural, manufactured and organic, intensity and indifference.
Probably drove back Sunday afternoon/evening. I expect we didn’t have a huge amount to say to eachother. We were probably listening to some more mellow music, Special K perhaps, rolling lots of joints and looking forward to gettting home and getting some sleep.
From Ian Young, It’s Not About Me! Confessions Of A Recovered Outlaw Addict- From Living Hell To Living Big. Norwich: Anoma Press, 2013, p.59-60.
Here are a couple of news reports about this party. Thanks again to faithful contributor Mr. Clang for the tip, and Youtuber Spaceweed23 for the upload!
Here’s a report from someone who wishes to remain anonymous:
A disused quarry in Gloucestershire was the venue for this 8,000/10,000/15,000-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.
This pic of Lechlade featured in an article in Select magazine:
An excerpt from Simon M‘s 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!”
I think the big white tent in the pics above was Rob Pike’s but I don’t remember there being a rig in there at this do.
This blue and orange marquee in the pic above was Circus Warp’s. 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 behind the back of the tent which didn’t seem to be switched on:
A fantastic atmosphere notwithstanding 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.
UK Free Parties and Free Festivals 1988-1994 
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?
I remember Goby Gary knew him form the local berkshire/hampshire sites but do remember him at Lechlade harrasing us to buy acid from him ! He just kept saying their shit but not that shit lol
It was my car ! Hahaha, I had just sold/swopped it with another mate who lent it to Gary, I was on site when it came flying back on.. a load of us grabbed mirrors to stop the helicopter from filming, the copper on bike flew onto site after Gary n my old mitsubishi, he had chased Gary from another county and didn’t know of the rave,, so the wiltshire coppers told us as they ran onto site to retrieve him, there was a few donks on the helmeted head of the bike policeman, with the guy saying ‘you’ve been a bit daft haven’t you?’ the police that ran on to help him collected him without any problems, abuse etc. And we carried on dancing 🙂
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 🙂
Absolutely wicked! The best ‘daze’ of my life, never to be forgotten!Thanks for the memories.
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
Is that you Chick? If it is find me on the spiral tribe site. I hope you are good and behaving yourself. Steve P
Ha ha .Thats where you are ??
Must be something in the air at this time of year to start searching the good old days …..Did you ever find out if that s chick
My user mane is BCCOAT
Chicken is that you that lived in the forest
good old days before ketamin when people went to parties to dance,will we see them again?
looking back it has to be the best party i have ever been too!wicked up the swindon massive!
i was there for days danced on speaker in circus warp tent one of the best parties ever
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 !!
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….
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.
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!
so close to ditching the rented bedsit, overdraft, job and car….
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.
Mark m…I spare a thought for them regularly, especially Tania, she was my bset mate for years, we started squatting together and moved on to site in Bristol, then I took off to Cornwall. She is buried up the hill from my house, and I go up and talk to her on occasion. Took my kids up to meet her, she was going to be the eldest ones godmother. They said “mum why do you want us to say hello to the ground”
That’s a real comfort to hear – I’d really like to visit that spot.
I miss Treacle loads, still to this day. She was so lovely if not a little chaotic, I last saw her on the Rownham Hill site in Bristol in her trailer, she had photos all over the wall of people amd sites must of been 93ish? Broke my heart along with all the others which were lost. They were my ‘family’ and I miss them.
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
hardcore days,still got my holey circus warp t shirt, tho how the fuck they got it together to print them only angels know!!!
holy circus warp t shirt…more precious than tha turin shroud!
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 🙂
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
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!
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
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
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
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
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!!!!
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
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
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
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 of Alan ‘Tash’ Lodge’s photos here- http://www.partyvibe.com/pictures/v/party/uk_party_pictures/album51/
Does anyone out there have any more photos of Lechlade?
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
what a party, got there 4 set up: in a hearst with Glous boyzs, stayed 4 a wk coz we broke down (shame), the AA didn’t want 2 assist at 1st but a flim sorted it on Thurs. Saw so much 2 much: hoof man (man with real horses hoofs at the end of his legs) no s##t, not an hallucination or microdots, dancin test tubes, flyin saucers, strawbs, k, PCP, lems & limes, Denis da menis, m25’s or r&c, just a mad party even saw a dog that looked like a pig (pigdog –pups 2 young) & a bee in da woods by the trout lake, size of a humming bird (may b it was) still v messy but I do remember most of it despite . Had a mud fight with my best mate Niki (got battered), got pisssed on by a crusty in a ditch (serves me right 4 sleepin in a ditch), got thrown out of the local shop 4 smelling bad (mud, piss, LSD & general party odor) still remember most of it: manikins at dawn, cupid, teckno art & big top. Wish we could do it all again, same place, same people same music, same vehicle (they look so old now just like us- mis chimps camper). Shine on Dizzy Dez & Harvey (2 tone bk 2 bk)
OMG this is the party i remember, did DJ zebadee dj here ben lyons what ever happened to him ?
hey up
Ahhh just been reading these comments and they make me so jealous that I never experienced parties like these!! I go to quite a few parties and some squats in london and even though i love them i know that they are nothing compmared to the ones back in the day!! and its sad cos il never experience them. from what you guys are talking about yep the rave scene is a-changing! regretamine is mostly what it comes down to. chavvy teens in their tracksuits with huge polos, everyone acting like zombies staggering around pie eyed! oh well im just grateful that ive experienced the current rave scene now as oppose to the mainstream commercial clubbing scene!
Heheheh,wot a party.four of us came down from Kent on the Friday.We’d been following the Spirals,Bedlam,Diy about foir ages going to the different doos.We weren’t sure of where to go and got stuck in a traffic jam which was a mix of ravers,crusties and holiday makers.Then we went round the corner and to the round about and their it was!!!Plod were freindly and directed us to park.
We went for a mooch and counted our money between us.£400!!!So we broke up into two’s an arranged to meet back at the big robot in an hour to see who had found the best price for pills!!
Met Griff(very old mate) who could do us rhubarbs for £7 a pop which was asnip in those days.Off we went for the whole weekend,nonstop with abit of acid thrown in,and then a DOET each on the Sunday,mental times.
We then went to Holland when the tribe had to leave the uk and squatted in Lieden for ages,then back to uk with Squats,sites,woods anywhere that was free to live.
I’ve been in a bender on and off for the last 10 years now,and refuse to conform.Only go to smallish parties in the feilds and woods now,as NOTHING can top those glorious years.Nowadays the drugs are wrong and the majority of music is shit.
We’re all very honored and privalaged to have been a part of something truely amzing,inspiring and groundbreaking.We showed those fuckers big time!!!!
Big love to all that survived,those that didn’t and to everyone who made it happen……….:)
That was Lee boinking that copper on the head IIRC. Fuckin’ branch was as big as him. It was fucking hilarious. I kept falling down all those bloody trenches there were all over the site at Lechlade; you’d be bimbling along in the dark, talking away, and whoomph’! You’re down a 3 foot hole with everyone laughing at you…
Just came accross this, first bit of video I have seen of Lechlade, proper scorcher of a bank holiday.
Friday thru Monday for me! Mental party and at least 8000 people there at its peak! Remember being sold a lemon & lime on Sunday morning spiked with PCP! Tried walking home to Bristol on Sunday afternoon thinking I was some kind of superman. Fortunately someone I knew was driving back to the party and picked me up about 2 miles away and back I headed, thankfully! What was I thinking??? Still a classic of a rave but little did we know that Casltemorton was on the horizon….
an excellent piccy of the site can be found at
http://www.its-all-about-flyers.com/viewtopic.php?f=43&t=1432
What a great party, the start of a great year, and sadly a big crackdown on travellers, festivals and raves. How scared they are when people unite. Really good to see the first pic as it’s mine and my friends benders shown, with our vehicles in background. A really lovely start to my day seeing this, thanks
i remember the party got moved on in the morning ( one of the mornings) , on top a hill, somewhere ?
Class party with lots of mayhem! Stroud crew was on the scene early. Best memory for me was a lad in a car on the roundabout, leaning back in car seat with his feet on the steering wheel. But
with gloves on his feet!!! Very confusing for a while!!!!
Hi to all who made it to Lechlade and castlemorton from the Bath crew. Amaaaaazing weekends never forgotton. Special times and mayhem… Dont know how we got thru and still functioning!xxxxxxx
Amazing weekend. Popped down for a look, left 3 days later. Had no money but an oz of herbage which I traded to survive. Collected a pile of hippies outside the car after giving them a lick on the ol coconut bong. Dancing to the single strobe on top of the spiral tribe trucks all night long. Good times.
I was there what a time we had faron cloud nine visuals/pulse 90/x-static&honoured to work/donate to circus warp+circus irritant NICKI. JESS VERNON . SID. NIGEL. ANDY BRATT . SAM AND IRRITANT BOYS WE DID IT ALWAYS!!! 6 the ones not on the big lists also FUNNY FARMX2 BIG ONES THE FUNNY FARM BARN NIGHTCLUB,(HAHAHA) CHEDDER GORGE LEICESTER (SAT IN A FIELD TRYING TO GET D. I. Y. TO JOIN US THEY DID RESPECT) OBVIOUSLY THE ALWAYS TALKED ABOUT ONES THEN WE DID BERLIN!!!!!!! SID AND THE GORGE 2000 D. S. NIKKI ALMOST GETTING KILLED BY MINI TORNADEO/DUST DEVIL???? RIPPED THE big top SO QUICK EXPLOSIVES UNDER EJECTER SEATS (FUCKING REMANISING HERE) ALSO BIG LOVE TO WAYNE YOU SID AND VERNON SO LOOKED AFTER ME THANKYOU WE REALLY DID HAVE THE TIMES OF LIVES NO MONEY JUST A WILLINGNESS AND SERIOUSLY SOME GOOD MINDS D. JS M. C. S SID RED CRAP LAZER LOVE YOU GUYS AND TO MY GUYS CLOUD NINE LAURIE. PIP. JON MEEKIN. NIGEL. BARRY.AND CERTAIN A DRVER????HAD A BEIAGE CORTINA ESTATE??? THANKYOU CLOUD NINE COULD NEVER OF EXCISTED WITHOUT…… ME HAHAHA SORRY DRINK NOW XXXXXXXP.S. D. J. CRIDGE .THANKS ALOT FOR A CERTAIN UNDER 18 RAVE AT YATE TAKE THAT!!!!! MIMING NIGHT NOW XXX
some good times down there.
do you remember Pat The C*nt?
mates with Marty Howard and Charlie the Spark…
Loved this free party a I know I had to meet at cheivley services to get to the party. As I lived in Basingstoke it was only an hour up the road but what a great rave. Was there for 3 days from what i remember, wasn’t as crazy as cassingdon but met some pukka peeps!
Anyone remember ‘ardcore Bob? Good old boy from Gloucester or maybe the Forest of Dean. I remember bathing in the blazing sun,and having to call my mates to see the hundreds of trout around me,(it was probably 2 or 3,but I’d taken lots of disco biscuits and yellow burgers, 2 laughing Buddha trips,Doet cubes and a sniff of a PCP capsule). Sweet Harmony was the last track played in the Circus Warp marquee. I remember thinking,”this is a big party”,then 2 or 3 weeks later we had the Avon Free Festival at Castlemorton Common,(after the original planned site was compromised). I remember thinking,”this is the biggest party ever”. A very belated thank you to the Cockney geeza in a suit who gave me and a mate,who were sitting down in the sun, a sealed clear cap each for nothing,and saying,”I guarantee you that you’ll be here in an hour wanting more!”. We could have fucked off and never seen him again,but he was right,we waited for about for him to return,bought 10 off of him, and he gave us an 8th of gorgeous Minali. Also,Gods and Goddesses bless The Hunger Buster lot. Very kindly let me kip on the bus when I couldn’t find the vehicle I went in,and for feeding me on the Thursday when I was almost crying with hunger. Best days of the best years with the best people. Also remember Top Buzz getting booed off of Circus Warps rig, and a mugger getting paraded around each system, begging for the other 2 to hand themselves in. I believe that 1 of them did. Big mistake. Peace, Love, Unity, Respect. “What’s your name,where you from, what you on?” 🕉️♾️✌🏻
Amazing times. Everyone happy young thin and goodlooking. Now old moany and past it! To meny stories to tell, all hilarious, Black and reds, roubarbs and custatrds strong strong acid!!! Castlemorton, the Roundhouse three times in a week including Xmas eve in minus 10. Mental mental mental. Training to be a counsellor now!!!! Love debs
I was there, almost died on the way. Pete drove us, Kenny in the front, Pete having a row with Mandy in the back, he was skunked out his mind and kept turning round to argue with her – driving at 100 mph on country roads. Lisa and I were holding hands, scared for the moment of impact – but we got there safe and sound, and had the BEST night!
Bumped into my ex who introduced me to raving. He said “I think you are doing too much ecstasy.” – Que? WTF is too much, I’m having the time of my life. Oh happy daze….
Pretty sure that our site convoy from nr Henley,picked up circus normal on the way to lechlade from a layby nearby.
Last we heard, the Normals weren’t there.