Police shut down 1,000-strong illegal warehouse rave in Bristol
Police shut down an unlicensed warehouse rave in Bristol’s Lawrence Hill in the early hours of Sunday 25 October, via Mixmag. Officers estimated more than 1,000 people were inside a disused unit at City Business Park. Three people were arrested at the scene.
What happened at the Bristol warehouse rave?
According to Mixmag, citing BBC News, Avon and Somerset Police were called out over reports of very loud music coming from the building. They say it had been secured and barricaded to keep them from getting in.
Mixmag has seen video from inside the event. It shows officers in riot gear and with shields clashing with people in the crowd while they tried to seize equipment, including a large soundsystem and decks. Police then held a cordon outside to stop more people arriving. BBC News reports that some tried to get in by climbing fences and crossing surrounding properties.
Three people were arrested for intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance. All three were later charged with possession of Class A substances. The event reportedly ran on until Sunday morning.
Why does it matter for club culture?
A crowd of 1,000 in an unlicensed building shows how much appetite there is for big, loud, late nights. It also shows how quickly such nights can turn into confrontation when there is no licence, no agreed site and no plan with the authorities.
For DJs and promoters, the equipment seizure is the practical sting. Decks and a soundsystem are expensive, and they are the first thing to go when a night is closed down. The same weekend roundup links to a separate Mixmag report on police shutting down a 200-strong rave at a farm building in Cambridge.
Where to hear the music instead
If the pull is high energy dance music, the sound lives across house, hard house, trance and techno. You can start with the latest from the label, Inner City Echoes by DJ Mischkonsum, or catch the sessions on our live page, including EDO | OBSCUUR #11.
Producers with finished tracks can send them through the submissions page.
The full report, with the police account in detail, is on Mixmag.
Source: Mixmag. Written in our own words by the OBSCUUR editorial desk.
