In Harry Harrison’s account of Castlemorton he reveals that someone phoned DiY on the Thursday with news of the venue. By 7pm on the Friday they had driven on to the common, ‘unchallenged’. There’s a whole two chapters on this festival in Dreaming in Yellow (follow the link to buy a copy), but we’ll only reveal a couple of extracts here.
Over Friday night, more and more systems rolled in, set up, kicked off. Some of them we knew (Bedlam, Circus Normal), while others, such as Adrenalin and LSDiesel, we did not. Uniformly that weekend, they all played their characteristic fast techno, or ‘nosebleed’ as we called it (they called our music ‘fluffy’). In our marquee, right on the edge of the already huge gathering, we played house, club music, deep house and garage. On the Saturday and Sunday afternoons, we slowed it down and played an eclectic mix of downtempo beats, soul, funk, hip-hop and even jazz, and we were undoubtedly the only people to play John Coltrane on Castlemorton Common. Many, many people have told us since that, musically, we saved their lives. They came to our tent and never left. Hopefully, however, they missed Simon [DK]’s set on Sunday afternoon. By that time, he had been up for so long and had so over-indulged that two of us had to prop him up from behind. As he attempted to DJ, he kept placing the turntable needle onto a slip-mat instead of a record.
On Saturday night there were by now so many people that the crowds around different sound systems merged into one enormous dancefloor. Our music at Castlemorton was probably the most effective PR we ever did. Tens of thousands of people passed through our tent and liked what they heard. As dawn broke on Saturday morning, with hundreds of people dancing outside the marquee, we were surprised to see dozens of outside broadcast vans at the bottom of the slope, cameras and microphones pointed our way. Japan, New Zealand, America and Italy were all represented as they beamed the sights and sounds of DiY in full effect back to their respective nations. What we hadn’t really considered was that the police were probably studying the same images, including our incredibly prominent ninety-six square foot banner with the letters’ DiY’ in six-foot monochrome splendour. That backdrop would feature on many news bulletins and shocking documentaries on the moral outrage of drug availability at raves. For me, as we walked around the still-expanding site on Saturday afternoon, the atmosphere was less of a drug-crazed dystopia and more of a village fete. For once, the sun shone benignly throughout the bank holiday weekend and beyond. It was balmy and warm at night, and raving is so much more pleasant in those conditions. Laughter rang out, old acquaintances were renewed and fresh ones forged. Kids ran around and their parents lazed in the sun. Late to the game, we heard amazing stories of the quarry pool only five minutes walk up the main drag. Hurrying there, we witnessed the wonderful spectacle of hundreds of festival-goers, half of them naked, swimming in a beautiful, deep natural pool surrounded by ancient quarry walls. This was turning into some kind of English Shangri-La. The sheer diversity of the crowd was striking. Porsches, family saloons and Land Rovers rubbed bumpers with ambulances and ancient double-deckers. The old school festival crew were still there. This was, after all, supposed to be the Avon Free Festival, but they were just swamped. It was no longer a festival; it was a great big fucking massive party. There were mutterings among the old crowd about ‘cheesy quavers’ and people not burying their shit (a legitimate concern). Effectively, the free festival movement was laid to rest that weekend; the frantic and ravenous synthetic hydra of acid house had buried it.
Again, I was able to surreally watch images on the news on a battered old telly on a mate’s bus, as video footage of us below was beamed to the wider world. A day later, someone turned up with the Sunday papers and we realised, with a deep gulp, that we were the nation’s news. Being the mouthpiece of the landed classes who really own and run the country, The Sunday Telegraph had dedicated almost the whole front page to the events in which we were immersed, below the immortal headline ‘Hippies Fire Flares at Helicopter’. God’s honest truth, when someone announced the headline, thought for a second that someone had propelled some wide, seventies-style trousers at the police until I saw the picture; someone had genuinely tried to bring down the police helicopter with a powerful distress flare.
And so the festival continued, on into the week, becoming infamous as the biggest rave anywhere, ever. Our system ran from Friday evening until Tuesday morning, by which time our thoughts turned to getting it out intact. Not only had we been one of the most prominent rigs, but we also had a distinctive large yellow truck that had displayed our name on its side in huge letters. But, as is so often the case, the sheer bravery and daring of the travellers saved the day and a friend, Alix, sneaked our rig out in her horsebox in the middle of the night. The police waved down our Dodge truck with a confident look, only to find it empty apart from a few tank nettings and a lot of empty beer cans. Thank you, Alix, again and forever. Spiral Tribe went through until the next weekend, refusing to stop. They were perhaps less crafty, as confrontation was in their DNA. Thirteen of their number were arrested and their system impounded. They were collectively charged with organising the festival, which they hadn’t, and were finally acquitted in Crown Court following what was one of the most expensive prosecutions in English legal history.
Harry Harrison, Dreaming in Yellow. Velocity Press, 2022, p.193-195.
Here’s Tim’s account of the event, previously only available on the excellent but now-defunct Loft Sites:
And of course there was Castlemorton. Breathtaking in it’s sheer size and bravado, looking back on it, it is clear to see that this monster, week long rave attended by 25,000 people marked not only the peak but also the death of free rave culture. While watching us helplessly and largely furiously, England would now take serious steps to ensure that that these ultimately harmless parties could never happen again, at least on any reasonable scale. The eventual introduction of the Criminal Justice Bill gave police new powers to prevent and break up any form of outside beat-based gathering.
From this point on, rave would go overground. There was no where else to go. Sure, pockets still thrive here and there, but a once gloriously anticorporate culture became swallowed up in clubland. Muddy fields and hastily erected marquees were replaced by steel and chrome, and thirty pound entrance fees. Trainers and baggy jeans did not make it past the bouncers. Terra techno turned into slinky house. Shiny clubs, shiny drugs, shiny people, and shiny music. It did not feel bad anymore. It had become respectable.
Getting to Castlemorton was easy. It was advertised on the TV. Arriving home from work on Saturday, I turned on the news to see an excited local broadcaster relaying information about a huge gathering of ‘ravers’ and ‘hippies’ on Castlemorton Common, an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty at the foot of the Malvern Hills in Worcestershire. They had mysteriously arrived overnight, many different groups co-ordinating beautifully and thwarting any attempts by the police to break up the large convoy of trucks, vans and old buses they were understandably becoming increasingly suspicious of.
I hopped it to 227 and picked up the few who had not already gone. For the first time I set off for a rave before the sun had even set. With such exact directions it was an easy drive through the Cotswolds, and we gradually became part of a convoy of cars full of ravers with the same destination. As night fell we began to leave the lights of the towns and villages behind us as we followed the road high up on to the vast common. Darkness now shrouded the rolling hills and only suggested at the space and beauty around us.
Then suddenly we were there. Cars were everywhere, parked randomly and haphazardly on either side of the road, which led directly through the middle of the gathering. We ditched my car and followed the general movement of people away from their vehicles and towards the distant throb of beats and bass.
It was soon clear that most of the traveling sound systems were there, each with their own individual party set up. At the center of it all, and the ringleaders behind the entire event, was, of course, Spiral Tribe. And that was where we were heading.
We continued walking down the road along which stalls and vendors had sprung up, selling all kinds of rave paraphernalia; bottled water, Vicks sticks, bongs, rizlas, whistles, glo sticks, mix tapes etc. Drugs of all kinds were openly available. People were hanging out, shopping, chatting, coming up on a pill, sharing a spliff. It kind of felt like being in some kind of bizarre town center, in a world where ravers had taken over. And always, in the background, the boom boom of the sound systems, reminding us why we were there.
After passing several large marquees each with their own rave in full swing, we arrived at Spiral Tribe’s own party. Their motley collection of vehicles were arranged in a large circle. This provided an amphitheatre into which their DJ’s pumped hard tribal techno. As always the focal point was a huge black and white spiral hanging from the side of one of their lorries, right next to the one sided van which housed the decks. Maggie and I put up the tent we had been carrying – she was intending to stay a few days – just to one side of the main circle. We scored some mushrooms and swallowed them down with a few sips of water.
While we were hanging out, waiting for the mushies to kick in, Mitch turned up with recommendations for good E’s. There were some shit hot Tangerine Dreams about he confided, if you could find them. Before long I had sniffed them out and had two in my belly. My own private party was beginning.
Fortuitously, the E’s turned out to be two of the sweetest ever. My memories of the night are little more than drifting around in a blissful haze, I’m not even sure if I danced. But that’s not the point, I was off my head at Castlemorton and that’s what counts.
As dawn began to break I lapped up a wrap of speed, I was so used to doing this now I barely even needed water to help it down. The sky became a little clearer and I started to recognize people everywhere – no one was missing this one. All of the heads from Witney were there. Being my home town this caused much handshaking and mutual jibbering affection. The whole of the Oxford Massive had made it, along with all my new friends from all over the place, who I had met through these weekly parties. There were several people I hadn’t seen for years, including of course a few spanners who had just come to check out the show after seeing it on the news. None the less, I was immensely pleased to see everyone, and greeted them all with much enthusiasm.
Night slipped back into day and in the sunshine the enormity of the carnival we were part of became clear. Tents, cars and people stretched out in all directions, creating a multi coloured splash in the languid countryside. There were several mini travelers villages, complete with dogs, fires and scruffy kids who appeared quite at home amidst all the madness. And spaced throughout this were the raves themselves, each with their own sound and their own vibe.
Framing this were the Malvern Hills rising majestically through the morning mist.
Many ravers began to sit in loose groups, spark up a few spliffs and just take it all in. We knew right then that this was something special. This would never happen again.
At some point I met up with Georgia, who dragged me away from the Sprirals to the DiY tent where she had spent most of the night with her mates. The large dance area was now quite empty, the floor littered with empty Evian bottles, roaches and butt ends. A bit later on I spotted Easygroove sitting in the back of an open van with some mates. By now we clearly recognized each other, and we nodded hello, like we always did. I even bumped into my sister. Half of England seemed to be there that weekend.
The party continued on for several days, but I had to be back for work on Monday. So late on Sunday afternoon I left many happy people behind and headed home.
Some more newspaper clippings have just turned up, big up to Simon K for these, which have been transcribed for the benefit of anyone following this site who can’t access the text in the images. It is worth mentioning that our long term goal is to have all of our newspaper articles and book excerpts transcribed 🙂
12,000 revellers descend on village for 4-day rave
Hippy days are here again!
Unless you’ve got this lot in your back garden
By BILL DANIELS
THE hippy days of the Sixties were back with a vengeance yesterday as Britain’s biggest-ever illegal party swung into its fourth night.
But for the tiny village reluctantly playing host to 25,000 revellers, it seemed that the self-styled peace people were making WAR, not love. A police helicopter flying over the crowd narrowly escaped disaster when it was fired on with five marine distress flares.
And the ear-splitting throb of acid music could be heard 10 miles from the sprawling city of tents and camper vans infesting Castlemorton Common, near Malvern, Worcs.
Meanwhile police could only stand and watch for fear of sparking a full-scale riot. Drug-dealers openly set up shop to push Ecstacy and LSD. One even did the rounds bearing a tray of freshly-baked “hash cookies’.
Trapped
Used syringes were among rubbish littering the 700-acre common. Furious locals report their garden fences have been ripped up for fire wood. Chickens and sheep have been poached.
Some families have sent terrified children to stay with relatives.
But others have become prisoners in their own homes – surrounded by the vehicles choking the narrow lanes.
Villager Jill Gilbert, 29, said: “Before long, the residents are going to get their shotguns and blast that music machine.”
West Mercia police had 400 officers, some in riot gear, on standby. They claim the helicopter attack vindicates their decision to keep a low profile.
Assistant Chief Constable Phillip Davies said: “This shows the lengths they will go to prevent police gaining access. The safety of my officers must be one of my priorities.”
Western Daily Press Monday 25th May:
Police powerless as 20,000 attend rave
By Giles Rees
THE biggest, noisiest and most lawless party of the year roared on last night as police stood and watched.
At Castlemorton Common, beneath the Malvern Hills of Hereford and Worcester, an estimated 20,000 hippies and ravers were having a ball.
They took drugs, they drank they danced and they made love.
They also turned a beautiful corner of England into a filthy, litter-strewn tip.
The invasion of Castlemorton began late on Friday as illegal hippy camps in Gloucestershire and Avon were cleared by police.
A convoy of buses and cars snaked bumper-to-bumper into the picturesque village, normal population 600.
Within hours a sprawling shanty town of tents, coaches and caravans was set up on the rolling common on the edge of the village.
Its sheer size forced West Mercia into an effective surrender with officers able to do little more than observe from a distance.
By yesterday the encampment, with no toilets, sanitary facilities or first-aid, had become a ghetto.
Drugs were openly on sale and alcohol was available from illegal bars.
Dirty-faced toddlers played by camp fires fuelled with hacked-down trees.
Amid all the squalor however, there was money.
Dotted among the ramshackle coaches and caravans were spotless Range Rovers and BMWs.
At eight different “dance centres” Acid House music pounded remorselessly and glossy leaflets advertising other Acid parties were given out.
Last night the festival of Castlemorton was still swinging.
Traveller Carol, aged 25, from Wiltshire, said: “We are having a good time. The
convoy will probably break up some time. I don’t know when.”
Farmers and villagers on the edge of the common were close to despair. There were
unconfirmed reports of one gunpoint confrontation.
Farmer’s wife Mrs Margaret Jones, aged 41, said gates had been broken, fields
driven through and livestock chased.
“I do not see what gives people the right to behave like this,” she said.
Villager Julie Williams, aged 24, who lives on the edge of the common, said: “We
have never had anything like this before. We can’t believe it. It’s frightening up there.”
West Mercia police said there had been six arrests and the situation was being monitored and contained.
A spokesman said: “We shall be considering our policy regarding the camp in conjunction with Malvern Hills district council and the Malvern Hills Conservators.
- West Mercia police set up a 24-hour helpline for local people who wanted to discuss problems arising from the event and the police’s approach to it. The number is 0684 893630.
A VILLAGE OF NIGHTMARES
By RICHARD CREASY
25,000 invaders turn rural peace into anarchy
THE tiny community of Castlemorton Common is normally a safe and peaceful haven – the English countryside at its tranquil best.
But the past three days has left its 800 inhabitants stunned and terrified. They are prisoners in their own homes from 25,000 invaders who mock a pitifully small police operation.
Britain’s biggest illegal party was still in full swing last night with drugs like Ecstasy, LSD and acid being openly sold by dealers. Worried families in the village have sent their children to stay with relatives and others are sleeping with shotguns under their beds.
“Basically there is total anarchy on the common. We feel sick with fear and just so helpless,’ said Jill Gilbert, 29.
“It’s a complete no-go area for the police because they are so outnumbered and don’t want to spark off anything worse.”
The police admitted yesterday they had been hopelessly under-manned for the mass invasion and set up a special hotline to advise worried about the situation. During yesterday afternoon a helicopter with three policemen on board narrowly missed five ship distress flares fired from the festival site.
“This highly disturbing incident clearly illustrates the lengths to which these people will go to try to prevent police access to the site,” said West Mercia’s assistant chief constable Phillip Davies.
“Under current circumstances, we are clearly obliged to adopt a low-key approach on the site in order to avoid unnecessary conflict with members of this huge gathering.
“Many of them have already displayed an extremely aggressive attitude towards the police, and the safety of officers must be one of my priorities.
“This is already a difficult situation, but I do not wish to provoke things further by sparking off large-scale disorder.”
“The result of the low police presence has been thousands of hippies spending three days dancing, drinking, taking drugs and making love on Castlemorton Common, near Malvern, Worcestershire.”
Acid music can be heard 10 miles away blasting out round the clock from the huge tented shanty-town.
One drug dealer carried a tray loaded with hash cookies selling for £1 each.
Since the invasion hippies have ripped down trees and fences to burn on their camp fires and a mountain of rubbish is piling up on the 700-acre common. The site has no toilets.
Raiding parties in search of wood for fires, food and animal feed pilfered from neighbouring sheds, barns and gardens.
Packs of maurauding dogs owned by the travelling hippies scavenge in the mounds of rubbish and sheep have been savaged.
The pub, post office and shops have shut down for fear of trouble.
Some people are trapped in their homes because scores of cars and lorries block their entrances.
So far 30 people have been arrested in the area for drugs related offences.
The nightmare began on Friday when convoys of ramshackle vehicles converged on to the common land after an advance party broke through a thin police line.
Outnumbered police conceded defeat and were powerless to stop the illegal Bank Holiday music and drugs festival.
“The music is booming every night and it seems to get louder every half-an-hour,’ said villager Peter Cooksey, “The place has become totally lawless. The peace of the village has been shattered.”
Scared Julie Biggs, 21, has had to run the tiny store in neighbouring Welland under constant police guard. “Everyone here is absolutely petrified. I have had terrible problems with hippies coming into the store and shop-lifting. I couldn’t work here if it were not for police protection, I would be too frightened.”
Angry publican Barry Smith, landlord of the Robin Hood, said: “Most people are too afraid to come out of their homes. If had lived up on the common I would have shot someone by now.”
One hippy, dressed in ragged denims openly touted ecstasy and LSD as he pushed a young baby in a pram across the Common, once an area of outstanding natural beauty.
Some offered “magic mushroom” cider, mindbending cocktail of drugs and alcohol, from makeshift stalls.
A traveller who gave his name as Richard said he had driven his battered bus from North Lincolnshire. He and his companions were a “peace loving group out to have a good time”.
“There is nothing wrong with what we are doing. We are here to have fun in the sun,” he said.
“We chose to live this way and rejected the hassles associated with a conventional way of life.
“Some say we are dirty but we are environmentally conscious, we make efforts not to dump rubbish.
“It makes more sense to bury your waste instead of flushing it away with harmful chemicals.
“People generally have it in for us because of our lifestyle. I think many envy us because of our freedom.”
You can find more newspaper articles if you scroll down 🙂
Here are some photos James sent us, thanks a million James, we love them!
Some quotes on Castlemorton from books:
From Matthew Collin, Altered State: The Story Of Ecstasy Culture and Acid House. London: Serpent’s Tail, 2009, p.228-232.
From Simon Reynolds, Energy Flash : A Journey Through Rave Music and Dance Culture. London: Picador, 1998, p.135-140.
UPDATE 24/10/21:
Here is a slideshow by top subculture chronicler Alan ‘Tash’ Lodge, enjoy!
We added the following sound systems, give us a shout in the comments if something is here that shouldn’t be, or if you know about any cases of rigs working together:
Armageddon
Conspiracy
Also interested to hear whether the list in the title is correct 🙂
Regular contributor Simon M sent us this report:
There were rumours going round about a free festival being held somewhere in the west country on the 23rd. At first we thought it might be at Chipping Sodbury, but late on Saturday night we found out it was going to be near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire. We switched off the episode of Casualty we’d been watching (which was about a drugs overdose) and the four of us set off from Bridport towards Gloucestershire in my gold Mini Metro.
Once we got past Bristol we saw loads of other ravers and travellers headed in the same direction. Near Tewkesbury we joined a convoy of disparate vehicles that stretched for miles towards Castlemorton Common and realised this was going to be a big free festival.
Having got appropriately stoned whilst dawdling along in the line of traffic we finally arrived on site at about 2am and parked the overheated Metro on the side of the road going through the common. Jumping out of the car we hurried towards the lights flashing into the sky from what looked like a huge sprawling township that had grown out of nowhere. Music blasted out in all directions, a mash-up of house, hardcore, breakbeat and techno. There were people every where and parties already in full swing.
Surrounding the marquees were traveller buses, ravers cars, tents, fibreglass sculptures and human gyroscopes. People were selling stuff all over the site. Beer, dope, E’s, acid, speed, rizlas, fags, coffee. We scored and dropped some ecstacy and stayed around the DiY and Circus Warp tents for the night.
After coming up, my fellow raver, dressed in a boiler suit and gas mask hat turned yellow and went outside to puke. I only found him much later, dancing, luvved up, ice lolly in hand. Once the sun came up we had a better idea of the layout of the site and in amongst the 40,000 party goers we found some friends from Dorset and joined them at Spiral Tribe. We sniffed some K and did some wobbly dancing, creating solid shapes out of thin air.
I was never a big fan of Spiral’s hardcore music and would have preferred to be back at DiY, but the Ketamine had me stuck to the spot like glue. Some travellers with families were quite rightly annoyed at Spiral Tribe’s strict policy of 24 hour hardcore and techno. Other systems mellowed out with some dub for a few hours on the Sunday to give people a breather and for kids to get some sleep, but not Spiral.
Commenter Jam Smoot told us about this Sparks and Martian at Castlemorton mix:
I missed Castlemorton but I believe everyone who says it was wicked. Interesting that dr_box (see below) mentioned the police herding him onto the common, people often forget that the travellers and soundystems were pushed/chased there by the cops. By the way, if anyone has exact dates for this please let us know, we know it’s quoted as going on for 6 days, but we need some sort-of-facts!
Interesting query from Hardcore Bob in the comments: the Techno Travellers (who we’ve now added to the headline) had their rig in the blue and red marquee, so which other rigs were there, and which tents were they in? Let us know in the comments 🙂
Thanks!
More book excerpts:
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.
We came across three longish (slightly chewed) VHS videos of Castlemorton free festival recently. Thanks a million to youtuber discodelinquent (great name by the way!) for uploading them. Discodelinquent has also uploaded some footage from Sugarlump parties. We’ll probably do a post on Sugarlump sound system sooner or later… Meanwhile, enjoy these videos:
Here’s a quote about Castlemorton from ‘Adventures In Wonderland’ by Sheryl Garratt:
Mr Arm (you know who you are!) let us scan a load of newspaper cuttings from his scrapbook. Big up! :
The following photo was captioned “Festivalgoers on Castlemorton Common yesterday, enjoying the sound of music in the Malvern Hills”.
The following photo was captioned “Common nuisance: The 20,000 hippies encamped at Castlemorton common yesterday”.
A classic headline:
Click on images for larger versions:
The following picture and article appeared with the headline: “Villagers threaten to burn out hippies -An illegal festival in the Malverns has driven people living near the site to breaking point”
Continuation of article above, click on image below for larger version:
The following article and photo appeared together:
Here are a couple of videos, the first one’s been online for ages, the second one’s newer and includes some footage taken near the spiral rig-
Thanks youtuber Yangow for the first vid, and thanks youtuber hemustbemad for uploading the second (he credits his friend Matt with filming).
Old friend Simon M was there, and he sent us this page from his diary:
These great photos courtesy of Pete Dibdin whose work can be found at http://www.peterdibdin.com/ :
The photos below are from George McKay‘s book ‘Senseless Acts of Beauty’ and I believe they were taken by Alan ‘Tash’ Lodge (whose excellent website you can find in the links on the right hand side of our main page.
The Riddler (who has a great site, well worth a browse), has some pics of castlemorton here:
http://www.webm8.co.uk/riddler/photographs_rave/castle_morton-1992/index.html
A Flickr pool with some pics of Castlemorton:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/castlemorton/pool/
Tim Aldiss’s site, now defunct but accessible via Wayback Machine, has his account of his trip to Castlemorton (his rave diaries are a good read, look at the other entries while you’re there)-
Here are a couple of Guardian articles about Castlemorton etc: http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/musicblog/2009/jul/11/castlemorton-free-party-scene-spiral-tribe?showallcomments=true
http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/jul/12/90s-spiral-tribe-free-parties
This lucky lucky person was there too:
dr_box wrote:
Castle Morton was an experience.. I’d been visiting a mates place in East London and he was coming over to mine in the depths of West Wales afterwards. we’d heard that there was a festi down near Bristol that weekend, so set off on the hunt along the M4. At one of the service stations along the M4 we got a lift from a Green godess fire engine that was loaded down with kit and Hippies, it was one of the vehicles spiral tribe was using to get to the festival. As we got close we found out that the festival might not be on, so set off on a hunt. the police herded us up to Castle Morton, by the time we got close there were several miles of trucks and busses full of people. At one point the line stopped and a guy with us got out and started counting vehicles as he walked towards the front. when the line started moving again, he waited for us to catch up. he’d counted over seven hundred vehicles, and he hadn’t reached the front of the line.
When we got there, the sun was setting and from the hills overlooking the site you could see the site starting to pulse with light and hear blasts of sound as things were set up. Travelling off all the way to the horizon there was a ribbon of headlights delivering more people to the festival.
Blinding weekend, my mate had his first E experience, Watched the police try and drive through the centre of the crowd. they got stopped in the middle, and a nameless longhair got passed over the crowd, and started selling Acid off the bonnet of the police car. after futilely attempting to get out of the car the plod ended up just laughing at the sheer balls of him.
Nighttime had more than its fair quota of low flying helicopters with spotlights. (although someone did take a potshot at them with a firework)
Last of the truly fun free festivals.
UK Free Parties and Free Festivals 1988-1994 
i have got plenty of pictures from this time, thinking about posting few on line, so watch out for them! Du remembr the chap above, don’t think he ever sat down but again who did?
Please do post some, I’ll link to them 🙂
I woz there…Would love some pics…Might be in some ov um…Im on lockdown at the at her magis pleasr…Orignal thachers prefug….
hi i am trying to find a tape called twisted-dj die-circus warp-1992.any one know where i can find any info on circus warp tapes etc as the computer just seems to keep offering me circus training etc. help please cheers in adv
The tape was called Warped & twisted
Hi, it took us a long time to find too! Details about where to find it are in the comments on this entry: https://freepartypeople.wordpress.com/2010/04/12/dj-die-circus-warp-mix-from-1992-help-us-find-it/
Yeah i remember the guy with dreads Naz i think from Bristtol
His name was Jaz and he was from Bristol! He’s in one of the pictures above if care to look closely… 🙂
Anybody know when this page was written? There is no date to be found. I’d like to help Toby above out, as I’ve just ripped my tape and was looking for the track listing online when I discovered his post. I can’t find any other reference except on Tapes Galore.
Toby’s post was on 22nd November 2007. Hope that helps! If you’re uploading the tape please post the link here, with or without tracklisting, as I’m sure there’s a whole load of us who’d love to hear it! 😛
i was siting here talking about the old days and the summer of 92, and the summers after that in france with the rig. lost touch with steve beders and the rest good times but life moves on i was one of the frist to pull on and watch it grow into one of the best weekends of my life the police got are rig and nicked ian and two overs with it thay did get of with it and we got the bedlam rig back after 6 months. if steve or anyone from then reads this drop a line
Hi Simon…. Steve can be contacted via his Noise Control Audio site he is doing PA stuff with Tim…. You still speak with Ginge???? Hit me back… Steve Spiral (last seen just outside Sevenoaks)
Simon you ol’ nutter!!!
It’s Murf… *)
I’ve seen Steve a handful of times, he’s doing really well with his soundsytem company!
Last I heard about you, you were lurking about somewhere in Holland!
I think we were amongst the first 10 or so vehicles to roll onto site – we were on a rescue mission to sort out Gary (coz’ he had all of the amps on his bus!)…
Really good to see you online… *)
A up 🤣😳
Hello all 🙂
My story started when i went to Wales to chill for a bit with my mate Jock. He bought a single decker Duplo bus and stripped the inside apart from the driver seat. We deciced to set off to our destination, which was Cross inn about 20 miles below aberystwyth. After staying there for a few months indulging in the land, we set off to a festival we heard about. There was no specific place but we knew it was going to happen. We ended up in Morton valence in a layby with a ton of other vehicles. It came to our attention that there was two other layby’s close with the same predicament we was in. We all arranged to meet up and go for some land that was not to far away (castle morten), there was some other places but the pigs stoped us from entering the lands. We where one of the first to get there, but we broke down just outside lol. Once we got in it was amazing. The whole place was alive but relaxed at the same time. I admit i did get off my face to spiral tribe, ending up on the top of a mountain (the grassy one with the quarry cut out on the left of it ). Many things went on i could talk about lol. It was one of the best things i had ever been to (Visiting the particle accelerator being the best ever ).
Was living in Bristo la t the time and we were following Circus Warp all over the west country in those days ,must have been for two or three years of seriously excellent parties ,one of the last being Castlemorton.Was an absolutely messy four dayz.loved it.Just want to take a second to say a massive thanks to anyone involved in the free party scene.It was my life.Circus Warp regular djs Shane and Jamie were the fukin bollox.Seriously unsung underground party rockers.I remember a woman called Emma always had a camcorder with her.Any footage[posted anywhere]would be quality.Also a massive shout to DiY we all know why.Proper.
yò! finallly I found it!
Andy yesterday was crazy in Villaggio Globale in Rome
your “eritage” is growing!!
visit my italian tekno blog
http://teknosurf.wordpress.com
i man!!hi man!
i’m looking for some documents about a free festival in castle morton in 1992 . i need video and audio documents for my degree thesis in ethnomusicology
can y help me!?!?
thanks a lot
one love
Robert
this is my mAIL temponero@hotmail.com contact me please!!
I think we were there for Six days,i lost a day as i crashed on Dobbos bus and was gone.
Spent most of my time either at the warp tent or Spirals rig apparently Adrenalin had a rig right up on the hill, but i never got that far.
I been searching for years to find out what happen to the Gyroscope that you used to pedal,its in one of the photos.
I was told Adie had it , but he hasn’t.
I still got a Castlemorton tape , its not very long, was there many done?
Bob
freepartypeople say: There are some DiY tapes of Castlemorton doing the rounds, but I don’t know about any others. If it’s good, rip it and let us know 🙂 Cheers!
does anybody remember the mugga that got hauled onto the spiral stage on the monday morning and given a nice suprise. basicly as it was drugs he was after the nice people of spiraltribe decided to jack him full of enuff class As to stop an elephant. he wasthen told to call his m8s over the mic then attacked on stage! altho it waz generally a good weekend there was still a few bad apples that tried to ruin it 4 every 1 else!!! respekt to the oldskool!
ped he got what he diservered if we did what he did were he cume from wed bin shot fer play them that sortid it
I remember that really well. He was pulled up on stage and dj said “MC Mugga on the mike” put the mike in front of him and he begged his mates to come back with peoples wallets or he was gonna get seriously done over. He got pulled back off the stage (and got shit kicked out of him we suspected) and the DJ came back on the mike and said “Spiral tribe – on the vibe!” and dropped a big fat tune to cheers from the crowd.
Also remember at another Spiral party a guy had a gun and got chased down the hill by hundreds of ravers. I think it was a revolver with 6 bullets and he calculated if he did shoot anyone the rest of the crowd were gonna rip him limb from limb…
He didn’t get a beating he was fed trips and sent on his way as I know who fed him them.
Same lot were firing the remote wired flares at the helicopter flying over all the time.
They were also one of the first buses on the site and they claim that they never intended to go to castlemorton and that the police possibly guided them there to have everyone in place for media circus and eventual creation of the criminal justice act.
They also suspect that possible undercover cops were dressed as ravers and were dancing around the side of roads guiding people there too.
All sounds a bit like a conspiracy but the people that claim this are not normally into theories like that but the police would do anything to get what they want
At most of the Parties they were always there, the same gang and after a while you got to know who they wereand kept away from them.
They come from some where near Cardiff and would rob any unsuspecting Raver including girls.
As soon as it started to get light you could watch them running away, i remember on the Ridgeway there cars got block in and they physically ragged other motors out the way to escape.
Also at Shilton Airfield they really beat a girl badly selling pills in the woods and left uconscious.
Bob
does eny 1 now were eny 1 off the newbyleclassroom are or hoo traveld with them email me on facebook richard lots of people from droitwich are n facebook take cear and rip to all lost souls that arnt here wiyh us to day rip. ped the best family i ever had all sadly missd
im ped off the newbylclassroom iv just seen what you asked abut what happend to every 1 off the buss but first who are you im on face book so if you want to now you can find me on face book im not in droitwich no more not bin ther 4 years im still in contakt with every 1 tho sadly a few people are not with us to day i can help you if you get in tuch with me on face book but not untill i now who you are sorry but i wont give detaiels untill i now who you are
punters hoo rob off travlers hoo ant got a pot piss in are skum it was hower way of life not gust a weekend if you think im rong then you are brain dead you must of took to meny drugs if you think it ok to rob off us so if you think its ok see what youl get if you try ped 2009 live long n prosper good luck
I have just found s blog with a couple of Circus warp mixes from Castelmorton. http://ylow.blogspot.com/search/label/Castlemorton
Lots of other interesting music as too!
if vu own a porsha 9111 don’t go to castlemornton via druggers end
here is an old eze love mix of SHANE @ castlemorton
side a.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/ly50otqt1xw/Shane castle morton A.mp3
side b.
http://www.mediafire.com/file/nmwwd1w2k2m/Shane castle morton B.mp3
one of the best weekends of my life, a legend.
can i ave me hat back? some bastard nicked off my head at castlemorton-cant blame me for drinking all that brew! (thanx for getting me back too my trailer lester(sited up polesworth 1992)). also does anyone know how i can get a photo from the dailymail from castlemorton-george.
Evening free party people,
do you have a vague source and rough date for that article that has been scanned in and looks all blury, the last one you guys scanned in. im writing an article on the development of the rave scene and early rave culture and would like to reference it appropriately 🙂
get back to me soon as
peace
Nope, sorry!
Respect one and all,
Does anyon e know what newspaper the aerial photo of castlemorton came from? the last dance was here for me after 3 years non stop weekend madness, and id love that photo on mmy wall as a reminder of The party to end all parties. one memory of it i do have is telling my mate martian (warp dj) that i hadnt come up on 2 acids then seeing green men flying in the sky…mental! how are we still alive today some proper mad times i for one wish them times back for my kids..
It was the daily mirror. My old man buys it and i kept his copy. Still have it as a souvenir 🙂
just like to add i remember the bad boys coming up taking doors at warehouse mfi in stroud the robberies (taxing) that went on. we just tried to avoid em tbh, anyway they were no match for main heads who behind circus warp and spiral once they got hold em game over. i remember vaguely one party in quarry (dont think castlemorton) where they stopped music and shouted over mic there was a robber in crowd and everyone stopped dancing and he legged it (coloured fella) with people chasing after him.
Hey I’m pretty sure I went to a bedlam party on 18 April 1992 in Aylesford ( Location could be wrong) and didn’t get there till sometime on Sunday it was in a barn type structure. I think a farmer came down and started chucking bricks at cars. This was the same weekend as the Spiral party in Acton Lane which we then went to on the Sunday evening. Now thats another story.
oooh! another Bedlam party I remember, some time in Feb 1992. A warehouse on an industrial estate in Edmonton north London. Pretty sure I remember hearing Aphex Twin didgeridoo here. There was a big pay rave near by which I remember having a flyer for in the shape of skull and crossbones. I have a feeling that Spiral were doing a party in Welwyn Garden City that night. I remember one of the bedlam flyers with a little ryhme on. It went something like this ….
‘Bedlam beggars non-stop headstrong with the bass in your face no time for lightweights, The tribe with the vibe the clan with the vans. Waging the war for hardcore no laws no more. Unity in subversity’ Procaiming that we will not lunch your money. True to their word by the time of castlemorton they had a massive marquee and big rig.
Another party I beleive has not been mentioned here was probably between the two dates I mentioned above was at Membury Services on the M4 the part was in a warehouse next to the services. Police blocked the entrance so people just parked on the hard shoulder and walked up. I think the lighting rig must have been prevented from getting in as it was very dark inside. It could have been Circus Warp though not 100% sure. Good party though.
That was in memory of a girl who was killed in a car crash the week before if my memory serves me right.
This is the press clipping for that party (if the link works!)
Unfortunately we can’t see a link here Si
Try this:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/7g7sucC_JZmljRdXy_HPS_H-wpy9n6qbpk-o_zUfR2fjxRX4tNaLSBb-j5zoDafG2LZHZx16LHDqZebBd3Ze3ubcTjzxx2lA-uFJl9frZE0AYwwiksYV6_PSxQgc18wRSikZdITHpoU=w2400
mad days good memerys RIP to frends that are not with us to day all the best to frends that are still here loads of love pedley
all the best to old good frends miss and love you all loads
i just come across a video of the peasedown st john party (near bath) which took place prior to castlemorton.the title says solstice 91 but thats incorrect.
We just set up a post for this party, thanks for pointing it out. We’ve read about there being a party (parties?) there but have no further ideas. What else do you know about this one?
What can I say? The mother of all free parties, and it was all pretty much downhill in my opinion after this! Having got there on the Saturday night and my friends car slipping into a huge hole in the dark outside someones house on the common. I can remember finding the Circus Warp tent and staying in that all night untill the Sunday morning and walking up the road and then seeing the Spiral Tribe (open air) and then further on the D I Y tent. Danced there for a while and then the maddest thing happened. About 100 people started doing the conga down this hill towards a riot van with about six coppers stood outside it. We then proceeded to dance the ‘Conga’ around the bemused coppers and then back up the hill and back into the D I Y tent. I will never forget the look on their faces!!! LOL! After that I Tried to walk up that massive hill (got about halfway) and left for home the following day…Couldn’t believe the news coverage…Can also remember someone firing a flare gun at a police helicopter! MENTAL MENTAL MENTAL party that will live long in the memory…. 🙂 And the New Yorkers weren’t bad either!
Woz at morton. Loved it..Had j tiyp..Lechlade !! Ace. got lade . But gezzr in bus tun my wing mior off…Bus with all the black spots….Been on roud now 23 yeas…My life..Lush
bunch of crusties and ravers from Birkenhead headed down in a wirral council (?) van someone had blagged to chipping sodnot happening join a massive convoy through gloucester (?) got on site thurs or fri night got monged, and continued in a lordly fashion for the next several days. Enjoyed Spiral Tribe, DIY – the robot statue was there? and dawn at Wango Riley’s. THanks to Dangerous kitchen for feeding me, I only took a tin of pilchard and some bombay mix. the phrase ‘buy an E gerra beer for free’ is ingrained. I think these festivals are the main reason I cannot abide the structure of a workplace – I dont recognise ‘figures’ of authority unless they’ve earned it and not just been bestowed a flimsy title. As such I upped and left the British isles and been enjoying sunnier climes!
I was there pills and acid good times,charlie, worcester
I know I was there, I just don’t remember much about it! I remember Spiral Tribe for sure and just the sheer scale of the event in general. I’ve never seen anything like. It really saddens me that this kind of ‘spontaneous’ mass gathering really isn’t possible in this day and age. Go figure.
where is George ward. new zeland andy
Maybe on the canal near Bath?
Circus Normal George (one eye george) was in menheniot railyard few years back, circus normals Scottish Sam (Campbell) was here in glasto but passed on to the free festival of forever rip 2015
What really happened after the free festival at Castlemorton; did you really just go home shattered with sore feet, a sore jawbone and pupils like piss-holes in the snow?
Did the government decide enough was enough was enough and curb the whole shebang with a new law, or did a spaceship land on the site with a crew of madcap ravers from a far off future, help us all convert our busted up old buses and cars into spaceships in order to fly off and colonise a small moon of Jupiter?
Did it, did it huh? No, don’t be so damn daft I hear you cry….well how do you really know, you were on pukka one that night I hear, anything could have happened and probably did? Well, if you cannot be completely sure I suggest you read this stunning factual and very serious account of the events in May 1992 on Castlemorton Common, Stark Trek; White Space Van Man 2…. it might just shed some light on your whereabouts that fine weekend, it might not, but it will (I hope) evoke some fond memories and maybe, just maybe make you laugh.
What can I say. All the best sound systems together, everyone untied. I remember some bloke on a bike giving people lifts on the back of his motorbike up this big hill. I’m sure people were diving into a lake as well. It was all about camaraderie in those days, we all stuck together. Remember the helicopters above, wondered if mum was watching me on TV. I was only 16/17 years ok lol
Went there with Easygroove and mc digger! Had an absolute belter, raves me tits off and had the best week of my life! Massive respect and love for all involved in the party that changed the world! 😊😁😊😁🍄🍄🍄🍄
There is always much said about the Sound Systems at Castlemorton, and I should know I dance often enough it front of all of them….
But one Sound System which was there and had one of the Bigger Marques has never been mentioned in the time since 1992 ……
My name is Hardcore Bob from Oxford , you can find me easy enough and tell me who’s missing 😎
We weren’t there ourselves so have to rely on everyone else’s accounts, so please do let us know who the mystery soundsystem was 🙂
Hi there ,
The Techno Travellers Rig was in the Blue and Red Marque ….
No one seems to know where Warp , Normal and Bedlam were on the Big Photo …
Please could some one mark where they think all the Sytems were?
Know where Andrenaline , Spiral , and DIY were …..,
Thanks
Hardcore Bob 😎
Hmm now there’s a puzzle… We’ll add Techno Travellers to the list in the headline, and we’ll stick your question at the top of the post to see if anyone knows which rig was where. At a guess maybe some rigs combined, but there may be reasons some would be reluctant (even after all these years!) to say whether their sound systems were there or not 😛
That would be the LSdiezel sound system which I used to help run and play live on (Digidub). UV orange with two 18″ yellow gas pipes for the sub woofers. Had an 8′ mutoid robot statue in front called the Meanmotherfucker built by Kenny Diesel or Mutiod Ken. The old bill definitely set up Castlemorton, I was driving the lead van in a convoy coming from Chipping Norton where we were due to play but got shut down. We were guided all the way by coppers at every junction. The rave to end all raves was the order of the day. Lived for three days on nothing but Ambrosia Creamed Rice
I’m going to add LSdiezel to the list of rigs in the title 🙂
P.S. was LSdiezel at Lechlade too (I remember their robot was… Or *a* robot anyway :D)
Hi, the same weekend as Castlemorton I was at a rave in Holland, in Leiden, a squatted school, and some Spiral Tribe peeps were there cause their coach was parked outside a big, British squat in Leiden called PTT (its the Dutch BT).
There were 3 parties at this school, the 2nd one was during Castlemorton. Anyone know what I’m on about? These were epic parties, industrial quantities of chemicals were consumed. The 3rd one quite a few Dutch folk turned up. There was gonna be a 4th but some Dutch kid died at the squat in the week, so of course, not happening.