Following on from Jamie Holman’s project Transform and Escape the Dogs which was presented as part of the 2021 British Textile Biennial, Flashback takes a look at Blackburn’s free party scene from 1988 – 1991.
Over the Spring of 2020 we held events in and around Blackburn inviting residents who were a part of that era to take the mic and record a story or two.
We wanted to discuss the good, the bad and the ugly of the Acid House scene, documenting peoples memories of free parties; from Hardcore
Uproar to The Love Decade, the mission to find the party, Blackburn’s empty mills, loved up good times and the wars between the police and the party.
These recordings then became part of a website, creating an archive for the future, telling the real story of Blackburn’s part in this era and creating an archive for future generations to listen to and understand a unique moment in the North’s history.
The FLASHBACK website can be viewed here: www.acidhouseflashback.co.uk. This new archive is a response to Jamie’s ‘Transform’ commission and research, that was delivered by Uncultured Creatives.. FLASHBACK was funded by Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England and Blackburn with Darwen Town Council.
