Forums › Rave › Free Parties & Teknivals › Ravers: An Ageing Population?
There’s yet another “oldies going clubbing” report on the BBC online site (BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Mature fans enjoy a new musical youth)
There was a time when rock concerts and pop music did not mix comfortably with older people.
The elders were renowned for causing embarrassment with their dancing at family weddings, while their teenage children’s choice of music caused them endless bewilderment.
But a growing band of older people are turning the tables, embracing music’s youthful culture with a vengeance.
Famous “wrinkly rockers” such as Mick Jagger, David Bowie and Tom Jones refuse to settle down into their quiet twilight years, and are good role models for older music devotees.
But one thing I’ve noticed recently is there seem to be less younger people partying or joining the scene (particularly even trying to form crews or nights)?
OK there’s still a number in their late teens or mid-20s but to me appears there are less every year – by now I’d expect to have seen a lot more posts from college/uni students who’d just started partying – the same seems to go for other message boards (even SJ hasn’t had the influx of newbies you’d expect from the start of a colllege term – nor kacchina!)
Even friends with younger siblings now in their teens say that they tend not to be interested in raves; I also know a lot of twenty-somethings who say “well we went partying a bit in uni but there’s no time now due to work pressures/competition for jobs”
anyone else noticed this? (may of course be confined to the SE and London areas due to wider social issues) – it does seem though in our area the “rave population” is “ageing” or contracting – (but in this case I would be happy to be proved wrong – parties always need new blood and new talent!)…
there is a crew around here (allegedly) that do some hip-hop and D&B free parties that are all late-teens / 20ish.
i haven’t been to any of their parties, but I’m reliably informed that the majority of the people there are about college age or younger.
😎
might be a regional issue then – could just be that there are a lot of crews in the SE and younger people would just join them as DJ’s or help out.. but it does seem like a lot of younger people here aren’t even going to urban music events any more as much (I reckon the use of “rave” by the uk grime/garage lot doesn’t help) and going back to rock gigs and other more conventional forms of leisure like binge-drinking..
did hear talk of two new crews in our area which were starting up; would definitely like to see more of this; and if people are being put off from unlicensed events by the zero tolerance there’s still legit underground events (the sort held in arts centres etc) and stuff like USE mentioned for his “dream”.
what I find strange though is that there is easier access to equipment, resources and talent than in the 90s, this is a city with a university and a college which specialises in music, art and media yet it doesn’t seem to be expanding the amount of new people getting involved? surely the youth of my area aren’t gonna give up and put up with commercialised pop offerings?
i was having a chat with my local record shop dealer and he said last year when he introduced selling d&b and that at his shop he used to see regular faces and now just a few as the others seemed to of packed it in
oddness
Hmmm, that’s not true for my area. The parties round here used to be populated by olds and hippies. Now it’s very much a young thing with a lot of new rigs starting up from teenagers/early 20’s.
I also live in East Anglia and Biotech is absolutely right. I have had so much trouble finding out about illegal raves (not now thanks to Biotech)or even legal ones ’cause most arl arses like myself have now packed it in due to other commitments. The young uns are defo way ahead in numbers round here. I have found this with most other things as well connected with the scene. A couple of lads have started going again as they have now split up with their woman and now have the time and no-one on their case when they get home at 08:00 Sunday after going out Friday evening for a “quiet pint” and in a bit of a mess. I’ve been lucky, my girlfriend works away (like me) and so when she gets home all she wants to do is go out and I’m out whether shes home or not!
When we started out, we were a local rig, and my little bro was still at school, so word got out to the youn’uns without any hassle. since movin from our home town coz of various shite, we seem to be getting an older crowd, altho there are always a group of teens somwhere. i think its partly apathy and conformity on the part of youths, being morwe scared by authority than we are, as they live in more domestically stable times.
at the same time. i dont know anyone under 20 anymore, and id be nicked in a second if i tried flyering the local schools. (imagine). the police have royally shat on not just us, but our local community, so no crew in our area has followed our trail.
to be honest it was a well square community to start with, many of our freinds just could not get their heads round our parties “but you spent four hundred quid sorting out that party, and you got £70 back in donations. and you’re happy?” “course i am, you spaz, it was a wicked party, what do ypou want, the mooon onna stick?” so its not the best indication of the next wave of concious yoots.
anyway, i recon the freeparty scene is great coz its in a constant state of flux (or revolution as my mate trotsky said) so i dont recon its too serious or permenant, whatevers happening.
The free party community is definitly on the defensive at the mo, and coz were rightly scared of being screwed by the fuzz, we arent promoting our nights in such a balls out way. i know a lot of people stopped coming to our raves because they couldn’t find the bloody things, but then thats just mikes shit directions.
yep – I’ve noticed that a bit particularly the closer you get to London; lots of people are brought up in the thatcherite “bling” culture and can’t see the point of this sort of party. People obviously still love urban music but they want to be “superstar DJs” and getting bare cash, groupies, free drugs etc; on other urban music scenes ppl are even prepared to fight and kill for the small bit of ca$h that trickles down from the big media/entertainment companies.
I agree with what you say about “youth being scared of ‘authority'” – but this fear is also being turned into anger as well. Society hasn’t helped though; if you can get 5 years for petty shit on ASBOs its almost the same penalty for doing real crime… some kids no doubt think “better to be hanged for a sheep than a lamb”
As for directions no disrespect to mike whoever he may be but you just cannot afford to fuck up like this, particularly when cops can now have electronic maps delivered by radio to their cars. Fuel isn’t cheap, and random cars getting lost in middle england’s narrow lanes leads to noseyparkers calling 999, jepoardising both the drivers and the event itself.
The ordnance survey website shows you how to read a map if you dont’ know already. I’m lucky as I’ve always liked exploring stuff long before I started raving and paid attention in geography class sometimes – but its not that difficult a skill to pick up. If one guy finds it impossible then perhaps someone else can help him or take over this task?
Do you really think we’re an ageing population GL?
I’m increasingly finding that I feel old (in comparison to the new people I meet) when I’m out……surely you do too – we’re a similar age after all.
Talking of ageing……you coming round mine on the 17th?
Originally posted by Gabba_bitch
Do you really think we’re an ageing population GL?I’m increasingly finding that I feel old (in comparison to the new people I meet) when I’m out……surely you do too – we’re a similar age after all.
[/quote]not really (although TBH part of me still thinks I’m 20 :D) I seem to come across a fairly wide age group from 20-40+, but with all the “usual suspects” still there and less younger people attending!
been speaking to younger lot (friends, work colleagues etc) in their early 20s and late teens – they all like music but don’t seem as interested in raves as we were at that age – could be because its no longer a “new” thing; but the stakes are far higher (cops, family opposition, harder to get or keep jobs and party etc with new “sickie” monitoring systems and internet monitoring).
As an example I can easily tell if the others in my office were on here looking at raves from the IP addresses, but there are only a handful if any from here yet there are loads of younger staff in this place. About 7-8 years ago nearly everyone under 40 in the office would have been clubbbing or raving..
There is a lot more pressure on people today, & its frighteningly easy to fuck up and get thrown on the scrap heap early in life, so perhaps youth are taking less risks with their lives today.
I don’t regret being a party person but my life would have been a hell of a lot simpler (if less interesting perhaps) had I never got so deeply involved in this scene.. and there is so much negative publicity at the moment about it so can understand this POV in an increasingly uncertain world, people perhaps have other priorities.
OTOH it seems people 12 years younger have less “sense of adventure” than I do even today (and I am fairly “risk-averse” these days)
Quote:Talking of ageing……you coming round mine on the 17th?
should be if I can get out of the office early enough…
Originally posted by General Lighting
should be if I can get out of the office early enough…
No excuse m8, we’ll be going for all or most of the night.
See ya nxt wk!
the scene around here is 16+ ull see alot of young kids rolling and alot of 21+ drinkin cuz the ve had there fun but sificive to say ppl. over here would running ppl. over if there were free parties all the time. usally its any form 10$ to 50$ for parties around here some exclusive like websterhall in n.y.c are 125$ holy crap!
3 dollors for water same for glow sticks and if buy drugs there forget about it u just spent half ur paycheak
Woah, DeltaX, that is some pricey ravin!
the club prices around uk are between £5 – £20 depending on the event. i use to go clubbin in london a lot- that was damn expensive, no doubt. i spose if u wanna go somewhere expensive, you can always find somewhere to flash your cash. i always go with little up and comin clubnights, coz thats what im doin and i wanna check the competion (and they are the most surprising- an that goes a long way).
The point the General made bout less risk taking youth is absolutely spot on…my peers are petrified of falling off the strait and narrow. when i bump into mates from my poncy secondary school, i get this look like “shouldn’t you be dead” or “how come your happy, you aren’t doing what your’e meant to”. Ive been trying to make up my life as i go, but with definite goals and targets in mind (due to readin lots o philosophy) but willnot do anything i dont feel is right. The AMOUNT of shit people give you “you’re your own worst enemy”, “why would you want to make it harder for yourself?”, “you just never do things the easy way, do you?”. its enough to drive you strait!
I get the feeling its wasnt always like this (could be wrong) and thatthere was atime when critising the status quo was seen as admirable. dunno does sound that likely now i see it in writing…
defenitly agree use, sometimes ppl. lool at u like that ” shouldnt u be dead and they catch u at a good time and ur like no but thanks for caring” its absoultly amazing the things ppl. think about things they dont understand. my partying in terms of “party favors” has gone down substantially and i more aprecciate the feeling of just beening envolved, going to a party with ppl. seeing the dj so on and so forth. i think having fun is good for u. if ur cramned into this box of an everday rutin for ur whole life things arent always going to be that exciting.
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Forums › Rave › Free Parties & Teknivals › Ravers: An Ageing Population?