Gatecrasher
Gatecrasher started as a one-off party in 1993 at the Tardebigge Engine House, out near Birmingham, put on by Simon Raine and DJ Scott Bond. It moved to Bakers on Broad Street and grew from there, then upped sticks to Sheffield, where it ran at the Leadmill, the Arches and the Adelphi before landing at The Republic. One-offs there in 1996 turned into a permanent home in 1997, and that’s where it went mad.
Judge Jules was the resident, and by the late 90s Gatecrasher was right at the front of the trance boom, with the likes of Ferry Corsten playing. The crowd were part of the show too, the crasher kids in bright cyber gear with their hands in the air for every breakdown.
They took it outdoors as well, with Lotherton Hall in Leeds in 1998 and 1999, then Summer Sound System at Turweston in 2000. The Republic was refitted as Gatecrasher One in 2003, and on 18 June 2007 it caught fire and was destroyed. It never came back.
Clubs followed in Leeds, Nottingham, Birmingham and even Ibiza, but the company went into administration in 2013 and the last venue, in Birmingham, shut in 2015. Ask anyone who went to The Republic though and they’ll still tell you there was nothing like it.
Timeline
- 1993 First party at the Tardebigge Engine House near Birmingham
- 1996 First nights at The Republic, Sheffield
- 1997 The Republic becomes Gatecrasher’s permanent home
- 1998–99 Outdoor events at Lotherton Hall, Leeds
- 2000 Summer Sound System at Turweston
- 2003 The Republic is refitted as Gatecrasher One
- 2007 Gatecrasher One is destroyed by fire on 18 June
- 2015 The last Gatecrasher club, in Birmingham, closes
Upcoming Gatecrasher nights
Want the trance? Have a look at our classic trance anthems.