If you were a raver in the 1990s, there's no doubt some of the most memorable weekends of your life will have been spent spinning glowsticks and throwing shapes in a sweaty packed nightclub.
With the '90s era of dance music and raves now a fading memory for many, it's bizarre to think this all happened 30-years ago. Thankfully, as people began to take notice of acid house and the emerging rave culture, some of those legendary, if messy, club nights have been captured for posterity.
One TV show, tucked away in the early hours of ITV's late night weekend programming schedule, that fully embraced the scene was the now iconic The Hitman and Her. Hosted by Pete Waterman and Michaela Strachan, the show ran from 1988 until 1992.
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More renowned for his slick pop hits, producing songs for Kylie Minogue and Rick Astley, the show's brainchild Pete Waterman confessed his love for acid house and trance music in an interview with The Guardian in 2013. The show revolved around filming the dance acts and clubbers hoping to appear in front of the cameras.
The programme was often recorded on a Saturday night, speedily edited, and shown a few hours later in the early hours of Sunday morning. The show also featured regular dancers who went on to have successful music careers - from Take That's Jason Orange to Jimmy Constable and Spike Dawbarn of boy band 911.
The first ever Hitman and Her show came from Mr Smiths, in Warrington, in 1988 and the final show, which aired in 1992, was filmed from The Discothèque Royale, in Manchester. In its time, the show also visited the likes of Liverpool, Nottingham, Birmingham, Coventry, Newcastle and, of course, Greater Manchester.
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For those looking for a nostalgic fix of their hedonistic youth, episodes of the show can be found on YouTube, with a number of rediscovered clips available from now vanished nightclubs across Greater Manchester. One iconic superclub in Bolton appeared on an episode of The Hitman and Her in January 1992.
The renamed Pleasuredrome nightclub in Farnworth embraced the emerging rave scene in the 1990s having previously been Blighty's. In 1991, the club hosted raving royalty The Prodigy, as a youthful version of the band performed debut single Charly.
In short spell that it was known as the Pleasuredrome, the club's resident DJ was Paul Welding, better known as DJ Welly. DJ Welly now lives in Brisbane, Australia, but in 2020 he spoke to the Manchester Evening News to reminisce.
He said: "My memories of the Pleasuredrome are deep and poignant, they’re ones of a place bursting with raw energy and emotion, a place packed to the rafters with like minded people all on the same journey, embracing a new era in music.
"1991/92 was a special point in time as far as the UK music scene was concerned, House/Rave, call it whatever you will was a new phenomenon. It was brand new, a cultural rebirth and a total reset of a generation's aspirations and outlook on life.
"The Pleasuredrome was at the forefront of this movement at the time, a truly special place, a place lifelong friendships were formed and memories burned into your subconscious. Within a few weeks of me starting my residency, the club was full to capacity, 2,500 people every weekend with queues around the block to get in.
"The atmosphere in the Pleasuredrome was absolutely electric, and as close to the feeling of an illegal rave I have ever experienced in club setting. A throbbing, pulsating, hot, sweaty and joyous experience, and one that the people that attended the club will never forget."
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DJ Welly credited other DJs, MCs and PAs who also contributed to the club's success, including Shez and John Waddiker, who joined him on the ground floor, and Kenny Grogan and Jamie Scahill, who played soulful house and garage music upstairs. Unfortunately, the club shut in 1992.
DJ Welly said "For me, Pleasuredrome is my number one, it's the place where I made my name really. I had been playing regularly at countless other events and clubs prior to the Pleasuredrome, and I was well established in the scene, but I made that place my own and it took me to another level.
Does Pleasuredrome awaken any memories for you? Let us know in the comments section below.
DJ Welly added: "I have played at some amazing nights and events and the Pleasuredrome is right up there with the best." Following the closure of the superclub in '92, it remained derelict for a number of years before being demolished.
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