Brought back a lot of fond memories for me(and one or two not-so-fond!). We used to meet up at a little club called Monroe's in Great Harwood between Blackburn and Accrington. There were always hundreds more people in the car park than there were in the club! I had one of the best nights of my life at a warehouse in Accrington, dancing all night and then being allowed to leave peacefully by the police.
A few weeks later, after the tabloids had whipped up the authorities into an absolute frenzy, we were at an illegal rave in a warehouse in Nelson. People were starting to leave when the police charged in through the only set of double doors with batons ready, screaming what could only be described as "battle-cries", and were supported by mounted police and dogs. I escaped with five stitches in the back of my head and a concussion, my brother with a badly gashed mouth and a few smashed teeth.
On Granada Reports and Look NorthWest that evening it showed nothing like that, just a few wide-eyed ravers fighting to free themselves from the melee and a few stones being thrown.
