Photos by Johnson Chen of Freedom Seekers
I’m not one to go on about FOMO. There will be other nights to go out, get fucked and dance with your friends somewhere along the line. Probably the week after. However, the 90s Warehouse Rave party was something that was completely out of the norm, ironically providing something new and reviving. So for those of you who didn’t attend this one, you definitely missed out. Sure, the classics were played on the night (yes, even The Macarena) but in all, the event was what it promised to be: a motherfuckin’ “END OF DAYZ WAREHOUSE RAVE“!!!!
The setting was an empty space behind Town Hall, dubbed Mash (or The Mills??). Everything was basic and only temporary, adding a sense of secrecy to the party. Like one of those scenes in a music video where someone rocks up the following morning, everything’s been cleared out and the only remains from the party are dulled out glow sticks, empty beer bottles and hungover guy wearing a horse head. People visited their wardrobes to dust off the 90s outfits they hadn’t thrown out and wore them with pride, creating a nostalgic atmosphere. That was helped along by the sound of whistles piercing the air and lasers cutting through the smoke. I personally went for the “Wayne’s World” look and even got told that I looked like “typical pizza delivery boy”. I was hella chuffed.
I was only a kid/tween in the 90s, so I didn’t have a chance to attend the raves. I only heard stories from my mom (she can rave harder than anyone reading this), listened to her Mother Mix CDs and loved them. I also remember my uncle playing Faithless’ hit single ‘Insomnia’ in the car, which was probably what got me into dance music in the first place. Needless to say, when I heard the opening synths of that track while I was on the dancefloor, I knew that was going to be the pinnacle of the night for me.
We had two winners from the night, who submitted the coolest pictures of themselves from the 90s. Here’s what they had to say about their night out:
pic by Teagan van Rooyen
“Wow, so how to describe the night that was the 90s Rave? I won a set of double tickets thanks to Another-Day and was both excited and apprehensive of how this rave would turn out. But as soon as I got there I felt like I had entered a scene from A Night at the Roxbury. Except I was actually on the list. The people were colourful, both in character and in fashion. The lasers were banging. The glow sticks were abundant and the music was a mixture of nostalgia and ‘oh god why?‘. I couldn’t have been happier. I threw down some moves, sang along to The Macarena and proceeded to get fresh like that prince in Bel-Air. I just want to say thanks to Another-Day for the tickets and for partying in that time-warp with me. If I had known you guys in the 90s, I so would’ve traded marbles and Pokémon cards with you and invited you over to watch K-TV after school! So yeah, what else can I say other than ‘That was like, oh my god, one totally bitchin’ rave you guys.” – Teagan Van Rooyen
Pic by Nikki Allen
“End of Dayz was the rave my 7-year-old self never experienced. I found myself singing along to songs I hadn’t heard since the days of cruising down the streets in my dad’s Opel Monza with the top down. I knew not the names of most of the songs, nor the artists, but they took me back to my childhood! This 90s rave was one I will not be forgetting, and I certainly think this should become an annual event, if just to remind us old farts in our 20s of our youth!” – Nikki Allen
