Conversations on urban ageing and inclusivity in Manchester’s rave scene

In Conversation, MUARG and the Morgan Centre present:

Urban ageing and inclusivity in Manchester’s rave scene

Our last seminar of the year is brought to you by the Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group (MUARG) and the Morgan Centre, and will be led by Helen Holmes from the University of Manchester, with MUARG's James Fletcher as chair. Tea and coffee will be provided at the event.

Holmes' paper draws on research with older clubbers about Manchester’s rave heritage (Holmes et al., 2023). Through 15 in-depth interviews with music professionals and ravers who were involved in rave’s nineties heyday and still are involved now, we reveal the continued significance of rave as a music world (Crossley, 2015). In particular, we focus on how the landscape of rave has changed, becoming more accommodating for the older clubber’s body and lifestyle.

The late-night clubs and early morning illegal warehouse parties of the nineties have been replaced with one off events and festivals, often taking place during the day, and finishing at ‘respectable times’. Despite these significant changes we illustrate how rave is still viewed in the main as an inclusive, collective scene, drawing together ‘clubbing families’ who have partied together for decades. However, we also illuminate tensions within the contemporary rave scene and particularly around rave as a form of heritage to be branded and capitalised upon. We discuss authentic versus commercial rave and how these differences play out for older clubbers and how they are inherently connected to the urban history of Manchester.

Room 2.016/17, Arthur Lewis Building, The University of Manchester, Oxford Road, Manchester.

This event will also be online at: https://zoom.us/j/95970960253

3.00pm - Seminar

This year’s conversation series will see MUARG in partnership with other institutes, bringing together transdisciplinary perspectives on ageing populations and urban environments.

Host or Publisher Manchester Urban Ageing Research Group