3rd June - Raving is Back!



During the pandemic, a huge chunk of my soul was missing, and it was the final piece of the jigsaw which was allowed to return in our society. Whilst restaurants, and pubs, and cafes etc, were all allowed to reopen (albeit with silly restrictions such as '8 to a table' or the classic 'you can only drink when also ordering a substantial meal'), the raves were left in the wilderness, with the Government's displeasure towards our scene readily exhibited via their refusal to re-open clubs and nightlife venues. 

For 'ravers' like myself, it was a really bitter bill to swallow and I spoke to numerous fellow members of the music industry during this period who were quick to share their feelings of depression. For me personally, I'd been attending various events on a regular basis since around 2013, and by the time 2017-2019 arrived, I'd find myself at different spots every weekend (and even weeknights), jetting off around continents numerous times per month to cover festivals in the likes of Hamburg, Amsterdam, Brussels, Miami, Liverpool, Ibiza, Las Vegas, and many more.




Here on U.K soil, a life without the euphoria felt at venues such as Manchester's Warehouse Project, or London's Printworks, seemed like a life not worth living, a live lacking in the main ingredient of happiness. Nothing ever gave me the feeling of seeing DJs mix flawlessly between iconic bangers, and taking the listeners on a musical journey throughout a 2 or 3 hour set. But then, one day in early August 2021, we were finally allowed to venture out to festivals once more, choosing 'Back To Love' in Finsbury Park as our chosen re-birth project. The day will forever remain in my memory thanks to the highest possible level of joy I felt in my soul as the mud trickled underfoot, surrounded by the muffled bass which became more audible with every step forward, and the familiar smell of vapes and cheap vodka filling the air around me.

Throughout that day, one of my closest friends and I kept screaming 'Raving Is Back!' in one another's faces, such was our unrivalled euphoria at returning to our spiritual home. Today, and this weekend, that's certainly the case for 2022, as first, we venture to my favourite UK club, Ministry of Sound in the early hours of tomorrow morning to catch the wonderful NERVO and my good pal(s) Kryder and Mark Roma tackling the decks, and then - via a few hour's sleep - it's off to the first ever edition of 'Creamfields South', the Essex edition of the popular Northern festival, where the likes of Idris Elba, Oliver Heldens, MK, Calvin Harris, Example, Fisher, and deadmau5 will be waiting for us. There's only one line to leave you with today...




... RAVING. IS. BACK!

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