Doing what I do, I’m used to seeing emails in the inbox – but some of them still catch me by surprise. One such instance occurred over the weekend, when a acid house veteran – who is still involved in the club scene today – contacted me to express his views about the state of British clubbing at the moment.

Speaking to Amateur’s House on condition of anonymity, he said “I’m really disappointed at how the clubs have failed to adapt to the times we’re in. Years ago, the police started raiding the raves we were putting on. So we started getting people to phone a number to find the location just before it started. We started working with farmers and landowners instead of just turning up and p***ing them off. We adapted – clubs would have got nowhere if we hadn’t.”.

Turning to the present day, he said “These people in charge now are only in it for themselves. They only care how much money they’ve got in the bank. Self-interest is all that motivates them. Yet if they’d pulled their heads out of their arses and worked together, they could all be back making money – with negative tests or proof of vaccine at the door, they’d have been back since probably Easter.”.

And what he does think of the government’s role in this? He told me “There’s a big difference between 1988 and now. Back then, government saw us and were terrified of what we could do. They saw these massive raves going on that police couldn’t stop. They didn’t know what we were capable of – and nor did we. That’s why they tried so hard to take us down.”.

Continuing, he said “We have a Tory government now, but that’s where comparisons end. There was no pandemic then. We were a bunch of idealist amateurs back then. Everyone else got professional, but a lot of the people at the top retained that 1980s mindset. It just doesn’t work anymore. They’ve haven’t got a clue. Simple truth is they’ve royally f***ed it up.”.

He finished off simply with “What you’ve been saying on your blog lately is pretty spot on. The dance press has never been great at asking questions, but they’re worse than useless right now. You’re one of few who’s asking questions of the people in charge.”.

I’ll take that as a compliment…