When I was 29 I made the conscious decision to stop going raving or clubbing all night once I turned 30. I didn't strictly stick to that rule though once I did hit my 30s, but given the number of years it's been since I last did an all nighter and the fact I'm now in my 40s it's safe to say those days are truly over now.
One thing that's helped is daytime events. They've allowed me to go out and see the DJs I like and get to bed at a reasonable time.
In the last few days it's been announced that Westfest which is put on by Slammin Vinyl each year is going to be a daytime rave for the first time. Judging by the comments I've read this has not been a popular decision and there's even a petition that's been started demanding they make it an all nighter.
Tranzmission which is Slammin Vinyl's other main event has been a daytime rave for some time now, although it doesn't look like there's going to be one this year.
Westfest has been going since 2004. My days of going to Slammin Vinyl had finished by then so I've never been. I would have been in the right age group for it at the time but what can't say for sure is whether it's still people of my age going or a new generation. An 18 year old now wouldn't have been born when the first Westfest happened, a lot of people at the first Westfest would be over 40 now.
I've not managed to find a flyer for the first Westfest but I've found one for the 2005 event. I've heard of near enough every DJ on the line up. On last years flyer the only main stage DJs I'm familiar with are Andy C, Hype and Gammer. I've also heard of Wilkinson but he's very much after my time.
In the One Nation arena I've not heard of anyone and I've not heard of the majority of DJs in the other arenas too. This suggests to me that they're catering for the youngsters. The protests against it becoming a daytime rave also suggests that.
Why change it to a daytime rave then?
Before I went to my first rave I loved the idea of being up all night. In practice it was never as good as it sounded. It was knackering not just staying up all night, but catching up on sleep afterwards. If I could have anonymously picked whether a rave should be day or night I would have probably picked day but would never have admitted it.
Another thing to remember though is that even back in the day not all raves were all night. At my first all night rave I remember how empty the place was by the last set.
Don't get me wrong, there will be people who genuinely want it to be all night. Some will get older and decide it's no longer for them, some may carry on until they drop dead. To me though the logical way to stop people from growing out of raving is to put it on in the daytime.
Rave was something I listened to in my youth the same way a youth of the 60s listened to the Rolling Stones for example. A lot of people who saw the Rolling Stones in the 60s will still go to see them in concert now and wouldn't look out of place there.
If the only way of seeing the Rolling Stones was to arrive at the venue by midnight and see them on stage at 4am, how many of them would still go? Not many I would imagine.
Now that Westfest is going to be all day will I go? Well put it this way, I live in London and Tranzmission is in London and I've never been. Westfest is a long way from London so seems highly unlikely. Judging by the line ups I would say it's after my time.
