The acid house movement was totally DIY both ethically and in principle. There were no laws laid down for where raves could happen, there was no set format to rave. The parties were happening in swimming pools, riding stables, back rooms of rural pubs, on boats, in scout huts and the YMCA . For a short time towns had no trouble renting out their halls on a Friday or Saturday night. Sound systems were constructed, PA’s were carted to the tops of mountains and deep into disused transport tunnels.

Ravers would go anywhere to party and the more obscure the location the better. You had to outwit the police then make sure the party did not get discovered and stopped. It’s quite incredible how parties the size of funfairs could just go ahead, set up under the radar, organize for 10,000 people to mobilize themselves and end up without incident.