Football and the late 80's early 90's and the two cultures that entwined

 

And to the left and above a night which I attended and a friend in the picture the one and only you know who you are. Place Die Hard on the stairs between Techno and Hardcore arena. Give us a wave.

And so a terrace and a night out now look quite similar thanks to the originals. The ones who started the ones who came after. And so to the ones who slept and are still sleeping.

And the infamous Fantazia moving from this country and being one of the first big rave events to travel around the world and one name that holds it's name proudly in the rave hall of fame.

THE BEGINNING.
 So the Blog has always mentioned fashion and culture so lets have a look at one of the biggest youth culture movements this country has ever seen. Ok the year is 1989 and at around this time New york's Disco scene was over and studio 54 gone earlier in the decade and DJ's were working and looking at different things ie music the way it was mixed, electro beats and music production in general  was being experimented with and So the sound on the horizon was Acid house and the illegal dance party scene was about to take Britain by storm. The sound and a not so well known drug back then was about to clash and make one of the most well connected forces ever known to music and the party scene, this made certain drugs  acceptable and yes drug taking in this manner had become acceptable to all teachers, students ,working class ,middle class and the upper out of reach class all coming together as no class equal all on one amazing level, People were all  there to do one thing ENJOY the atmosphere and togetherness that the scene brought. No other scene had done it before or has done it since the mad 10+ years had begun for some and waited for others but every one on the terraces and streets were talking about it. There were plenty of good times ahead and this scene had success stories and heart breaks but we will cover them all let the nostalgic ride begin. So the rave scene had become sort of a metaphor but back in the day's it became a name for revolution nothing less and plenty more. If you know you know if you don't then you never will as life,people and attitudes have changed so even if the music and effort that people put into the scene arrived once more times have changed. Kids don't grow the same and life has just become a manic ride of madness and social media judgment and comparisons. Then you had to speak face to face for communication no mobiles and attitudes were just different but other things took over from alcohol, and certain substances became acceptable and you know the signs that said leave it at the door no bad attitude here well that was just a given as people turned up with no alcohol in their system and a let's just party attitude.So lets move on and the birth of Acid house music was in chicago and DJ Pierre was one of the first innovators of the sound but Chicago has a deep history in Dance music a bit like Bristol has to the DB scene in this country but obviously the history in Chicago is deeper and has more sounds and styles being produced their.

So back to the early day's of the British scene and football firms ,supporters  and people from all walks of life had come across the dance drug ecstacy. At this time on the town weekends out with lads  would of consisted of firms and lads having a night out that usually turned into agro and it was all linked to the pint and a fight culture that generations before had been brought up on,now lads and there attitudes were changing and the mood was different and less agro and more communication was needed to talk about were what and how, times and places for meets were arranged, not the meets for a row but the ones at motorway services to make your way in convoy to the next illegal party. So the underground dance scene was kicking and moving. Chicago house was here with an ibiza flavour, and just like a rum cocktail Acid house and dance drugs collided and the rave scene was born. So back in Britain the underground scene was having it with clubs like shoom in London with three not so well known DJ's called Nicky Holloway, Paul Okenfold, and Danny Rampling. And so the British scene was in good hands from the start and with Carl Cox playing first night the thing was kicking and low and behold its still kicking today on a very different and very commercial basis. So football firms and after match celebrations changed with them heading to their local night or using the away travel to turn up to an out of town all nighter. The times arc back to a pint and a fight night this would of meant a straight rumble no questions asked but with attitudes changing these nights were crazy enjoyable nights, with people experimenting with acid and ecstacy and you know when you start to laugh on a trip it rips your sides apart with laughter and  their is no way of stopping any time soon even if it ment your life depending on it, so with these sort of moments with friends and strangers the pint and a fight culture was over for a wile. So with the best times happening lads started  to get to know each other and the talk turned to helping each other in getting around and starting there own party's and lads providing security for nights and providing courier services for the movement of drugs around the country and so one of the top firms involved was West Ham. And the film Essex boys is a well documented story. So people like Paul Archer and Paul Dawkes decided to throw a party in an old church in Telford, that then became Pandemonium and later produced events all over the country but they were a main stay in the Midland rave scene promoting many events. Some nights which  many local lads attended and  later with clubs like jj's and the Telford ice rink being one of their first and then another ice rink being  one of their last.So what was the attraction ,ATMOSPHERE,yes the one thing the terraces craved and so a scene that created this was a perfect match but there was no need to wait for full houses or for the big derby's you could now attend the game and then get a full house atmosphere every week or twice a week if your club or cellar had a night then the atmosphere was guaranteed. But the after effects of the scene are still to be seen  with the new criminal justice bill ending the illegal scene and placing restrictions on dance music licensing all together. Did it carry on, of course, but sooner or later things change with people getting older and the attitudes changing, and drugs changing  for the worse if there is such a thing with the life changing substances not good in any shape or form. But not so long after the scene had gone the heroin explosion hit the British streets and i do often wonder if they hadn't of made it harder for these sort of events and placed such restrictions on the scene and made it impossible for it to cary on in the way it did  then things might of been different in many ways. The war on drugs failed but that's another blog, but the criminal justice bill has a lot to answer for and was there such a thing as a lesser evil in this, then i think there mite of been, but as alcohol kills and destroy's many more people alcohol that has become a main stay for British society then their mite have been an argument at this time with the evidence we have today to change the criminal justice bill and how we aproaced the abolishin of the scene at that time. Hindsight is a wonderful thing did the terrace rows and meets stop, no, did they change yes, was that to do with new technology,with camera's every were or the drug scene and nights out becoming more rave orientated and so less violence involved everything what was,will never be again that's the  case in both department's. And so this is not glorification of drugs but that was a small fact of this part in terrace culture and British youth culture in this country at this time. And as time moves on will there be another movement more than likely every generation has one and claims there's was the best but this was something special this one has many good times but also many bad times and tragedies as well. But through the ninety's the terrace's changed and football violence did subside and lads did change their attitude somewhat to each other. But moving on if there is one story to come out of this is that we all start out to have a good time but when, we, you or whomever go out to have a good time nobody can see the future, and the endings are all different. But with all the behavior mentioned above they all carry risks and some carry more than others so young people, use football to get your fix of passion and atmosphere but keep away from the other risky behavior's, they are risks you can and should avoid. Their are no winner's but football in it's raw form brings joy to millions and that's the beauty of the game but as the dance culture still Carry's on the meaning of that scene was different back then and no longer did you have to wear shirts and trousers to get in clubs, the recession was in full swing, youth clubs were shutting there was not as much in house entertainment back then so the youth and young adults looked in different places for things and pleasure and so the scene was born. Young people today have more choices and better avenues. But people who took the avenues and made mistake's to have fun for some it turned out wrong so we should  learn from them and use the things that did create the atmosphere and that's people football and music. Just a quick look at another culture that hit the Supporters and the terraces and changed what people did with no evidence of what would become. Would people of changed things of course but we can only use what we have to move forward. So with people using the underground scene to make a living in many ways the criminal justice bill came and the scene became commercial, big money swallowed up the rawness and the freedom it  had and now the super club came about with Cream and Ministry being the blue print of the future night out. It did loose it's freedom and  the DJ's mentioned before were now super stars, the meaning had changed but the atmosphere is still generated and things move forward. The terraces are  now all seaters and as I talk about this the discussion of standing is now on its way back as rail seats are the safe option. Football and club culture don't share as much as the same stage but they do continue with both having more money than ever pumped into it by punters and supporters a like. But we move on and so does life and as we move into uncertain times and the country struggles, this is when people become creative in way's to shrug off the boredom and worries of life. Will it be a breeding ground for another movement to begin who knows but things will change in many way's for sure,at this time the terraces are empty and football is played in empty stadiums for the first time ever so what will be the next craze who knows. Let's just hope things move forward. Covid is here and the country is fighting another epidemic let's hope stadiums are full again soon and people can get back to normal soon as possible.