Methodology:

The intention of this project is to capture oral histories from individuals who attended Acid House parties in Blackburn between 1989 and 1991, preserving the moments these people choose to remember and celebrate, rather than present a historic overview or definitive chronology.  The interviewers therefore do not claim that the details in each interview are factually accurate at all times, or that every detail of the era is represented.

The interviews collected in this archive are the opinions of the individual and may not represent the opinions of the organisations involved.

We have chosen to present these stories without defining a political or social context or viewpoint – which is often seen in documentaries or news articles about the era. We simply invited participants to contribute, and recorded their responses to a short set of questions that simply established their name, age and where they lived at the time; before inviting them to share their memories, good and bad of the era – be they ex police, DJs, party-goers, organisers or politicians. Therefore these interviews have only been edited at certain times; when the interviewee has discussed or compromised another individual’s identity or when interference or background noise has disrupted the interview.

For context; the interviewers were Alex Zawadzki , the creative producer for the project, Jamie Holman who lived in Blackburn and was a teenager during this era and Joe Fossard who was significantly involved in the organising of events with his expertise with sound systems. He still works as a professional sound engineer and occasionally you will hear moments of conversation, where interviewees reference the latter two interviewers.

We hope this website creates a future archive for researchers to use, and contributes to our understanding of the cultural heritage of Blackburn, and East Lancashire. We ask that you credit Acid House Flashback when using the materials here; whilst naming the interviewee in any used quotes, and crediting anyone referenced when clicking on the images or archival documents found here.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in an interview during this time; to those who shared their photographs, flyers and newspaper cuttings; and to those who helped us record, design and generate content for this site; and especially to those supportive individuals who helped us build connections across communities which allowed us to deliver this project.