UK Decay

[Neil]

Just found an old flyer for a New Year's Eve warehouse party in 1983 at 'the Sweatshop', 22a Guildford Street (I've scanned and sent it through so should be up on this site soon). The flyer invites people to bring their own bottle and dance till dawn for £1 - bargain.

I seem to remember there were a few of them in this space in the mid-80s, usually on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. There was a small room downstairs and a big open space upstairs, I remember one year the staircase between the two collapsed, or at least the bannister (think this was later - maybe 1984?), and somebody broke their arm.

Anyone remember these parties? Who put them on, what was the music ?(I actually made a note in a diary I kept in 1983 that there was '50s music, Siouxsie & the Banshees etc.'). Was it a squat or was there some kind of deal with shady landlord?

[werewolf]

Sweatshop flyer

Click for larger gallery view
The Sweatshop, opposite the '33 Arts Centre', Guildford St. New years eve, 1983. (Pic courtesy of Neil Orr)

Remember the Rubber Box and Lovelight soundsystem did one on
New years eve in the same venue where the street was rammed jammed
with literally thousands of party goers. The stairs collapsed, spon took a
break from recording Karma Sutra to stand on the door and DJ Crazy Fish
made enough money to buy a new sl1200 record deck.
But that was a couple of years later we think, perhaps this one on the flyer perhaps was Crazy fish's first venture into the party zone.

Thanks for sending this in Neil!
W.W.
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[tonyhippy]

I definately went to one of these: I couldn't guess what year, but it was an Xmas eve. It was kind of sleazy, but a grand night.
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I don't want to achieve immortality through my work, I want to achieve immortality by not dying.
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