Coolist squat party locations

[abstract1]

One of the best places I remember was at Tottenham Hale, absolutely massive, indoors and outdoors, loads of rigs...

I think that might be the one I remember off Seven Sisters (?) - absolutely enormous place over several floors and outside - walked miles that night I reckon, mostly round in circles looking for people!

Another good one was in a very rundown building near the the studios of The Big Breakfast - came out in the morning and watched the herons on the nearby water

 

[DeadManWalking]

Went to a couple at Tottenham Hale, the last one was NYE 97-8?

Had a great time at both remember playing on Unsounds rig outside in the morning, someone had brought along a BBQ and was making bacon sarnies.

 

[Onket]

Archway theatre was really good the first time I went down there. When Sonik/Arena had it it was still good, but a bit more restricted. The views from the roof there were fantastic.

 

[xes]

Exodus used to hold some good parties aswell.

Was up there for nearly every one for a good few years. The ones on Dallow road in Luton were good,in the old TNT building,the roller doors would shake from the base The best exodus for me,was an outside one,round the back of a golf course in a sort of valley. Was just a great party and a fantastic vibe. And the 2 they held at Heath and Reach sand pit were great,going sand surfing off ya nut on acid was tres Diving down the sand dunes and coming home a funny shade of orange

 

[Dan U]

Skumtek 1 was quite a hoot...

the muntbar link up was sick

 

[Chuff]

Spiral tribe squatted a post offce sorting warehouse off holloway road and the rollers were being used as a slide by putting metal trays on em (early 80's)
bingo halls, wood green, one near kennington the night lady di died, six story block in brick lane with reknaw doing live punk in the cellar between peeps and the only bar

castle morton festival (though it's not strictly a squat it was killer) there was a gut painted orange with tango written on his head dancing non-stop for days.

another near pentonville for new year (about 12 years ago) where the bar was in the lift and it kept moving floors

Quazar in turnpike lane the first two times it was squatted with the sloping floor.

various where you could get on the roof and see london (espically brink lane area)

a pub near brick lane that went on for days 1994ish.

any of the old school multi system parties where you had a choice of six plus rigs and no fucking crackhead grief early 90's.

office blocks with maze like corridors in central London

Hornsey road ( near hollowy road) ongong for about ten years off and on

places with an outside where you could fraggle in the sun all day sunday.

cooltan in brixton for the first few years

squatted dole office in north london (can't rememebr where for the life of me and i live in north london)

the early carpenter road when the loos still worked.

all those pristine buildings the first weekend.

a big ivy covered building in manor house another new year that went on for 4 days came home 1/2 way through day two ate slept then went back for more

fuck i've forgotten so many

do squat parties damage your memory?

 

[William of Walworth]

Going back further, some of the early parties at the Rainbow Centre in Kentish Town were pretty good ...

I only went once though a cool venue found it a little bit too much 'rightous' hippy (at least the door dudes), the party was a bit dire that night too, so we moved on to a squatted club on a side street off Old Street which wasnt a bad venue.

I was there a different night honest!

Best time was when an early verson of Unsound were there -- sus is well impressed that I remember that!

 

[William of Walworth]

Camberwell Grove parties.

That goes back a fair bit no?

I went to one (top of Camberwell Grove) straight after Deptford Urban Free Festival (the 1995 one I think?)

Don't remember much except it being VERY dark -- so dark would be a recipe for disaster these days.

 

[Giles]

I rememer one in a old office building right in the middle of the City - near Mansion House tube as I recall.

Must have been 2003?

I remember it was the hottest weekend of the summer, and everyone was so hot, they climbed out the fire escape ladders onto the roof, and you could see across the centre of London. Wicked. Especially leaving the place early Monday morning and seeing the puzzled looks on the faces of all these people arriving in the area in their suits and ties for work.

And the one in the former "Viacom Outdoor" building on Jamestown Road just off Camden High Street. We went there in the morning, having been at some club, and the party suddenly got a second wind as all, these people coming to Camden for a day at the market heard the music and wandered down to check it out.

The building got utterly trashed and I remember seeing people walking out with office furniture, computers, all sorts of stuff. October 2002.

Several in Park Royal factories and warehouses.

And a really nice one in an old building 2 mins from Liverpool Street that was a long-term live in squat upstairs, they used to have parties most weekends.

Giles..

 

[Moggy]

I remember it was the hottest weekend of the summer, and everyone was so hot, they climbed out the fire escape ladders onto the roof, and you could see across the centre of London. Wicked. Especially leaving the place early Monday morning and seeing the puzzled looks on the faces of all these people arriving in the area in their suits and ties for work.

Garlic hill

 

[Farmer Giles]

to go back even further, one of the best 'party' venues of all time and which probably started it all was Energy at Westway Film Studios in early 89.

The blade runner set in one room and the columns in the other. Qualitay!!!

 

[dtb]

1. the bullring (cardboard city) at waterloo
2. the coronet cinema, elephant
3. streatham cinema

 

[Blagsta]

The roundhouse in chalk farm.

I went to a new year's day party in there back in 1994. Great place.

 

[Onket]

The fur factory down Hackney Wick was pretty good for a few weeks, sitting in the sun next to the canal all day Sunday.

The longest I have ever been at a party was at one of those ones (I was unemployed then too!).

 

[Blagsta]

The quasar building on corner of Frobisher rd, where i used to live, Turnpike Lane, North London. Lots of narrow tunnels

Yeah, that was cool.

 

[rutabowa]

The fur factory down Hackney Wick was pretty good for a few weeks, sitting in the sun next to the canal all day Sunday.

and it had the pretty pretty swans!! (yeh i know)

 

[Mooncat]

Went to one party in an anonymous warehouse once that contained loads and loads of little orange price tag type stickers. The roofing slats were festooned with rolls of the stuff and the floor was covered. Looked like an orange jungle! Spent a good while chasing and being chased trying to stick them all over each other!

Another good one was in an old paint factory – didn’t realise till morning that it was fluro paint (no one had a UV light – duh!) until we went outside in the daylight and were covered in the stuff. I had to run back inside to grab some pigment and had to be prevented from fucking the suspension on the van. Put me in mind of when Homer finds all that sugar.

“Whatdya want all that sugar for Homer?”

“But its sugar!”

 

[Sunray]

Garlic hill in the City. ToM had Dave the Drummer on and the pigs had barracaded the doors, fucked off to the dungeons to arrive there and get told the crowd had stormed the doors and so went back. People were climbing the outside of the building to get in through the window.

Just recently went to this place in Fulham, right in the heart of curtain twitching country. That was spic and span aapart from the burnt out techno room. Even had a proper kitchen.

Most of OCB's parties I've been to are held in impressive locations. I remember one in a Sweatshop with all the cutting tables and fabric lying about.

 

[piratetv]

The ones that stand out for me were.............

Claremont Road.

The Great Tree Festival, Ladywell Estate near Stansted.

The old Ninja/Backspace building Clink St.

Lechlade.

 

[William of Walworth]

Lechlade.

Exodus yeah? I missed the parties/festies they had in that location , but I was at their biggest and last festival (2000) by Junction 13 of the M1, the one just before the whole Exodus project imploded disastrously. People tell me there were some right goings on and near fights and major disputes over money (etc. ) between the crew behind the scenes, but as far as a mere punter like me was concerned it was right up there in the best old school tradition of free festivals. Technically (and in reality) legal and licenced, but atmosphere wise it was underground as fuck. Was free, but so good that at the time you just HAD to chuck plenty of coins into their buckets -- I hope some of that at least went towards paying the right people/bills!

Mmmm SKUNK CIDER!!! (8%) in one tent ...

 

[Fidel]

The ones that stand out for me were.............


The old Ninja/Backspace building Clink St.

Great building, NYE 2000 was very nice even had a firework barge outside the window

Oh yes Claremont rd was good!

 

[free spirit]

probably the most wrong, but most right location I've partied in was one of the towers on the Tyne Bridge (er alledgedly). To get to the actual party you had to climb up this rickety ladder, then over loads of beams and pipes with the rig being in the actual lift winding room (or whatever its called). Was well dodge from a safety POV, but watching the sunrise from the roof was cool as fuck.

 

[upsidedownwalrus]

Great building, NYE 2000 was very nice even had a firework barge outside the window

Oh yes Claremont rd was good!

I obviously missed that, the one we trudged for hours to on NYE 2000 was this one in the middle of deptford with about 10 people.

 

[Onket]

probably the most wrong, but most right location I've partied in was one of the towers on the Tyne Bridge (er alledgedly). To get to the actual party you had to climb up this rickety ladder, then over loads of beams and pipes with the rig being in the actual lift winding room (or whatever its called). Was well dodge from a safety POV, but watching the sunrise from the roof was cool as fuck.

How did they get the rig in there then?!

 

[Moggy]

How did they get the rig in there then?!

By helicopter, silly

 

[Onket]

Of course.

 

[Crispy]

How did they get the rig in there then?!

transistor by transistor, in plastic bags.

 

[Hyb]

I rememer one in a old office building right in the middle of the City - near Mansion House tube as I recall.

http://deviate.cx/photo/party/20040221

And the one in the former "Viacom Outdoor" building on Jamestown Road just off Camden High Street. We went there in the morning, having been at some club, and the party suddenly got a second wind as all, these people coming to Camden for a day at the market heard the music and wandered down to check it out.

http://deviate.cx/photo/party/20021019

 

[sir.clip]

Nine elms cold store.. Vauxhall..
must have been around 89-88-87

Place was shit scary.. me & a few friends from pimlico school went & i think it changed my life.. I remember this caravan on fire in the middle of a big room, that was the only light on one level..
Full of tramps beggers freaks pagans wizards foriegners traverlers pikeys kids dogs goats druids...

 

[aurora green]

http://deviate.cx/photo/party/20040221


http://deviate.cx/photo/party/20021019

Phwoar!!!! Top photos Hyb!
Took me right back...