Quadrant Park

“The Quad captured some of the true essence of rave culture, in a way, because people weren't staring at the DJs. They were totally focused on dancing and totally focused on each other. The crowd were the stars, they made it happen, they brought the energy, and they wrote the narrative of the night themselves.” Tim Reeves, Editor of i-D magazine, 1990-1991

In 1990, the UK’s first legal all-night rave was born in Bootle: Quadrant Park. Although the club was short-lived, growing popular in early 1990 and closing at the beginning of 1992, it played a pivotal role in the evolution of club culture in the North West and beyond. A key moment in cultural history, the story of Quadrant Park tells us a lot about being young and working class at that time, the culture that transformed the city, its residents and the DIY ethos that’s been carried forward in club nights and venues today.

Demolished in 1992, and with nothing at the site now hinting at its rich history, the story of Quadrant Park ran the risk of being lost. Queue Up And Dance is a project celebrating the legendary club and the vital role it played, putting memories and memorabilia into an archive as part of an official, public history. Inviting those who went to Quadrant Park in its heyday, and young people living in Bootle today, we collaboratively developed an archive of photographs, flyers, leaflets and membership cards, had digital music production workshops with young people and interviewed those who donated to the archive.

Queue Up And Dance is produced by At The Library, a collaboration between Sefton Libraries and Rule of Threes Arts, with lead artists Dave Evans and Melissa Kains. Thank you to the original Quadrant Park DJS, Mike Knowler and Andy Carroll and the vibrant and active online Quadrant Park Reunions community on Facebook for all of the conversations and collaboration that made the project possible.

Funded by Historic England’s Everyday Heritage grant programme, celebrating working class histories. Made possible with The National Lottery Heritage fund, with thanks to National Lottery players.