Dave Haslam Interview: People were having mad nights out 100 years ago

Photo: Dave Haslam

Author, DJ, university lecturer, promoter... there's not much that Dave Haslam hasn't mastered. A key member of the clubbing community since 1986 when he landed a residency at Manchester's infamous Hacienda, Dave Haslam has lived and breathed UK music culture like few others (listen to one of his recorded mixes from 1991 below).

His work as an author has been particularly praised, with an attention to detail and hunger to unearth untold stories resulting in some extraordinary, insightful reads, with subject matter ranging between an alternative history of the seventies, Manchester's musical history, and the world of superstar DJs.

After a five year gap, Haslam has returned with perhaps his most ambitious book yet, Life After Dark, a work that charts the history of after hours partying, from the age of the Victorian dance hall to more recognised venues in recent times. Ahead of his DJ set at Vintage By The Sea in Morecambe on September 5th, Mike Warburton caught up with Dave to find out more.

You've just released your fourth book, Life After Dark, and even from the briefest of glances you can tell that you've done an awful lot of research for it. Is this the most work you've put into one of your books? 

It took five years to write and research but partly it took so long because I wanted to be thorough and also to document stuff that hadn’t been documented before.

We have heard a lot about certain clubs like the Cavern and the Hacienda so as well as finding new angles on them, I wanted to include tons of places that have never been acknowledged before. Clubs that have played a part in their town or city; from Spiders in Hull to the Maritime Hotel in Belfast and Angels in Burnley.

You've written previously about clubbing and the experiences of the DJ, when did you decide you wanted to take a more in depth look at clubbing and its origins?

I realised no-one had attempted a book that told the story of nightlife from the Victorian music hall, through jazz and mods and punks right to where we are now. So I was on a mission! And the longer the perspective the more links you find, and it intrigues me how through the generations some things change but some things stay the same. People were having mad nights out a hundred years ago. It’s all in the book.

Credit: BeatWolfRadio

What's been for you the most important clubbing era, with regards to how it's affected the cultural landscape in the UK?

There have been a few. I think the years 1963 and 1964 - the emergence of bands like The Beatles and the Stones and The Animals must have been wonderful. Plus around then you had the first soul clubs, the mod-type places. The acid house era changed things in the North West I think. Not just the Hacienda and clubs like the Thunderdome but all the warehouse parties too. They brought people together, opened up a sense of possibility.

What sets the UK apart from clubbing scenes across the globe? What is unique to us that you just don't get anywhere else?

I think it’s the restlessness of youth, the desire to challenge the previous generations; there’s always an underground scene bubbling under the surface, the urge to reinvent things. It keeps things interesting, always.

There's some really insightful chapters where you've met up with various club owners and promoters, did you have an idea before you started about the people you wanted to interview for the book? 

I wanted to interview Jarvis but that never came together. Noddy Holder was great; Slade were such a wonderful live band and when I interviewed him he took me right back to the mid sixties when he was starting out.

He borrowed his Dad’s window-cleaning van and used to help transport equipment for Robert Plant’s band, way before Robert Plant was in Led Zeppelin and being transported in a private plane. Funny! Also Ed Simons from the Chemical Brothers gave me lots of time. Everyone I asked was very honest and open.

Of course there's been the recent reports bemoaning the death of the clubbing scene in the UK, with the number of clubs halving since 2005. I read about someone the other day blaming 'hipsters', and 'indifferent youths who don't want to take drugs' - the theories seem to be coming from anyone and everyone, but what from your research and knowledge of the scene are the real reasons you think for the dipping numbers, when clubbing culture and dance music in the UK is clearly thriving?

The traditional model of a nightclub - that mainstream high street club playing predictable cheesy music – that's been challenged for a number of years. There have been licensing changes which have meant pubs and cafe bars staying open later so the monopoly on late drinking and dancing that nightclubs used to have has gone.

But also I think people are more adventurous. There are warehouse parties, live gigs in function rooms and churches, DJs in basements; lots of places that aren’t nightclubs but are thriving. It’s a cultural shift, it’s not about less people going out. People always want to go out, they want to dance their troubles away.

Photo: The Hacienda Credit: Stuart Aitken

Finally you're playing alongside fellow Hacienda alumni Graeme Park at Vintage by the Sea on Sept 5th, are you looking forward to that? What still excites you about DJing all these years after you first started? 

I always enjoy DJing with Graeme. Technically he’s a great DJ, but he has good ears too; knows how to pick great tunes. I always look forward to gigs though. I’m quite choosey about where I play because I always want to know there’s a good chance the vibe will be spot on, the crowd really up for it and appreciative.

You can never quite predict which ones the truly great nights will be, but you aim for them all to hit the heights. I like the sound of the venue  as well – a former railway station – playing somewhere a bit different always adds to the fun.

Head here for Vintage presents Warehouse with Dave Haslam tickets.

Head here for more on Vintage By The Sea

Tickets are no longer available for this event