Here’s What Its Like To Go To An Underground Rave

Going to an underground rave is a unique and loud experience. Here is what it's like to go to an underground rave if you've never been.

From inside the taxi, I’m looking out at what appears to be an abandoned warehouse. With boarded up windows, graffiti sprawled across the outside, and no sign of life, the building certainly doesn’t look inviting – but in reality, it’s a thriving part of Glasgow’s underground rave scene.

It might seem dead to those passing by in cars, but exiting the taxi and standing on the roadside presents the warehouse in an entirely new light. The pulsing beat of loud music is hard to miss, and the taxi driver nods at us before he drives away: “This is where they’re usually held. Sounds like you’ve got the right place.”

Glasgow’s underground raves are hardly a secret, despite their elusive status.

We may have discovered this one thanks to word of mouth, the scene’s best advertising strategy, but it’s not unusual to find people standing outside the city’s techno clubs of Flat 0/1 and Subclub handing out leaflets or cards advertising an ‘afterparty’.

It’s easy to see why; the music escaping the building in front of me is clearly of the same genre, a mixture of hardcore techno and drum’n’bass. And if the aim of the game is to draw a crowd, it seems to be working. Inside, the warehouse is packed to the edges with people, mostly student-age, all facing the DJ near the back of the room.

The atmosphere is giving off clear Boiler Room vibes.

There’s no space between the DJ and the crowd, with people packed into every corner of the large room. The walls are barren, the lighting is dark – possibly to avoid detection, but more likely just for the atmosphere – and the music is the main focus for everyone there.

Unlike the high-street clubs that line Sauchihall Street, nobody here is paying attention to those around them.

“It’s where people come when they want to let loose.”

Jason, who probably hasn’t given me his real name, explains why so many people like the underground raves. “Nobody cares what you look like here, whether you’re good at dancing. And nobody is trying to hook up with you or get too close – I think the girls like that, being left alone.”

He’s not wrong. Despite the energy being high and the music loud, one of the main characteristics of the makeshift club is the air of indifference. People are oblivious to what is going on around them, ignoring the drugs in every corner and the overly-enthusiastic dancers dispersed throughout the crowd, and shutting out everything but themselves and the DJ.

Drugs, however, do play a large part in the underground rave scene.

The disinterest of the ravers makes it easy to ignore, but drug culture and rave culture have always been closely tied, and the underground rave scene makes it even easier to take, and deal, while partying.

“The drugs make the music sound better,” explains Jason. It’s a statement I’ve heard before, especially when it comes to techno. Whether it’s the reasoning behind the music for the raves or simply a side effect, it’s certainly a popular opinion; and a lot of people in the warehouse have either taken drugs already or are planning to later in the night. “I couldn’t last until the end without them,” Jason says.

I can see his reasoning. The raves, which start when the clubs close at around three in the morning, go on long into daylight.

They’ll often finish at nine or ten in the morning.

Sometimes later. Because the raves are illegal, there are no rules, and they can go on well into the day. The general rule seems to be that if people are willing to stay, nobody is going to stop them. When the raves do begin to empty, it’s up to the DJ to leave when he gets tired.

I don’t wait until the end. I start to get tired as daylight approaches and my bed starts to seem more and more tempting. Despite the large number of ravers clearly planning to stay I’m not alone in my decision, and people are beginning to filter out the front door.

Stepping out into daylight is a shock after the dark, club-lit building, but a welcome one. And when I finally do make it home, I’m asleep within minutes, a muted techno beat still reverberating through my ears.