You know those events that you missed out on by 12-18 months that eventually take on mythical status? Strawberry Fields was that event for me.
To be fair, I wasn’t even 17 years old when it happened. The Prodigy’s Voodoo People wasn’t even a thing. And I was living two hours drive away from the Gold Coast location. So I didn’t really miss out, and have managed to live it vicariously through my uncle many times over anyway.
For the event’s 20th anniversary, I pulled together the promoters and DJs behind Strawberry Fields to tell the full story of an event that wouldn’t get past liquor licensing in 21st-century nanny state Australia.
Read all about it on ITM, and check out some rare footage from long-gone Brisbane dance club The Site below.
Both one of the best and worst nights of my life…..
Standing on main stage next to Carl Cox with record in hand only to watch as Police got closer and closer… till they reached the stage and shut her down….
Was like watching a train wreck in slow motion!
Definition of Denied…
I wasn’t at the first strawberry fields, i went to strawberry fields 2 in 94. Damn, i thought i had managed to blot out all my memories of “the site” and ‘the arena” but a month or 2 ago, i started thinking about fantasia, Nasa 3, the Prodigy dance party etc, etc,and then stumbling accross the senstr articles about the demolitions of those 2 venues, all those memories came flooding back, taking acid for the very first time at Fantasia, the sheer madness and insanity of those parties, so weird seeing the photo of The Prodigy onstage at ‘the sites” closing party, i can see to where i was standing, not visible of course but jeez, somewhere in there is a 24 year old me, tripping off my dial, in a state of total euphoria, totally sold on dance music and raves. i thought the site had long since been forgotten by just about everyone so it was a big surprise to read that article.The roxy/arena was the last of the old venues to go.Mixed feelings all these years later, the original rave generation i think would have jung up their glowsticks for the last time by the mid 2000’s at the latest. Also the whole scene died in the mid 2000’s. Now the old venues are gone it;s like the final gong for the old rave scene, now replaced by new venues for a new generation of which we have no part in. The only thing is the scene now is a joke compared to what we witnessed, it’s all changed, the new millenials are going out straight and to gigs where dj’;s play mp3 instead of vinyl. thge music has lost it’s spirit and become monotonous. Who would have thought back then the scen would deteriorate to what it is now,