Diehard - Memories of a Raver

When scene split in the early 90’s in my opinion, up to 93 most dj’s played the same style of music, then it split you had some dj’s playing the happier side of the music which later turned into happy hardcore and some playing drum and bass.

I’ve got a pretty open mind when it comes to music, I listen to everything, old skool 92 and before being my preference however drum and bass, trance, house, all the aspects of dance music are in my ipod.
But at the time me and my mates got disillusioned with the darker side of drum and bass, there is the upbeat drum and bass then there is the dark stuff, you know what I’m talking about the nod your head stuff…..we then found Diehard!!!

Anyone who liked the happier tunes and has not been to diehard in Leicester, well its like Judith Chammers not having a passport, unthinkable!!

This place was the dog conkers, Diehard was in Leicester and it was a bitch to find, every Friday we would be driving round and round Leicester trying to find this place, no matter how may times we went, straight or canned, we could never just drive straight there. We had so many good nights at die hard but one stands out over all the rest I’ll try and put it into words.

We set off 2 cars loads, the usual in one car, me, nibbler, Peaker and Deano and some other friends who went raving in the other, Daz, mark, john and Toby. Peaker was driving our car who was a absolute pill machine. Daz was driving the other which was his mums pride and joy a rear wheel drive sierra 4 x4 which in its day was the nuts, oh his mum was on holiday and did not know her beloved car was heading for kinetic in Longton full of battered young lads..

Helter Skelter were hosting a night at Club Kinetic and it was a must…by the way did I mention it was snowing, it was no normal snow, this was the worst snow storm we had had for years!!

We headed off up the M6 towards stoke, Daz trying his hardest to keep control of the rear wheel drive car in the snow, while we were passing round the pipe, even thou Peaker was driving he did not want to miss out on a go on the pipe so he used to stick it in his mouth and Deano used to light it so he could get a good pull on it while he was driving.
The snow by now was really bad only 1 lane was usable on the M6 if we had not been canned and on a mission we would have turned around.
We arrived at kinetic quite late due to the snow and could not get in, it was full. Everyone was gutted but canned, some ravers who we got chatting to were having there own rave in the snow in the car park behind the club, some guys system blasting out the tunes, this was soon stopped by the not so friendly local constabulary.

Peaker was gutted worrying he might not get his fix of hardcore then die hard was mentioned, Longton to Leicester is not that far, Daz was worrying about his mums car in the snow, fuck the snow was Peakers answer and before you could say “what you had, where you from”, we were all in the cars and a convoy of about 6 cars was heading for Leicester.

I’m not quite sure to this day how we got to die hard, but we did.

Diehard consisted of 2 rooms, upstairs was the happy hardcore room and down stairs was the techno room, the 2 which were linked by what was called happy alley, where everyone used to mong out and talk bollocks.

It had a real underground feel about this venue, it was not that big, but that made it even more special, you felt like you new everyone if you went regularly.

The happy vibe was what die hard was all about, no attitude or rock stars was the sign as you walked in, all the walls were covered with smiley yellow faces, everyone had a smile on there faces as the likes of Seduction, Dougal, Slipmatt, Sy, Vibes, Vinylgroover and Ramos played each week. Downstairs was techno, sometimes bouncy techno but at others full on gabber, the likes of Easygroove, Clarkee, Jay Prescott, M-zone and Loftgroover used to bang out the tunes.

We parked in the car park opposite which had a kind of burger van in it but it did not sell burgers, this housed the security guys with the 30”necks. By now Peaker was a bit of a mess and his love of dancing got the better of him, we were all walking over to the club trying to stay on our feet in the snow when he decides running would be a good idea, he tried to hurdle one of those single metal bar fences out of the car park misjudging it completely and ended up on the deck with a bloody nose, his face was a picture sat in the snow with a potential broken nose, after we had finished pissing ourselves laughing and cleaning him up we finally got into the club

The place was rammed as usual, I think Ramos was banging out the tunes with Marley on the mic. We headed straight downstairs as Easygroove was playing. Easygroove was one of those dj’s who could play any style of music but tonight it was full on techno. We danced through Easygroove's set with Peaker just sat against the wall occasionally saying” I want to dance but my legs wont let me and my fucking nose hurts!! I said to Deano, that’s got to drive us home!!
Next on was Clarkee who played even harder full on gabber, Peaker did not stand a chance so off we went upstairs.

Deano was well known for his paranoia, he would freak out about anything, we were all sat upstairs on the front of the dj booth when Deano started to say some guy was staring at him because Deano had had a chat with his missus, shut the fuck up came the reply from us all we had been in this situation loads of times….just chill out!!

It did not get any better and he was starting to convince me something was up. It got to the stage where he was really freaking out, now Deano was not a small lad but the gear had taken over and he had lost it. I decided it would be best just to fuck off out to chill him out, so out our lot all stomp leaving Daz and the rest inside, peaker was mumbling under his breathe about wanting to stay.

We get outside and the snow was unbelievable the cars were not really recognisable. I start up clear the snow off the car so Peaker could see where he was going if he could see past the end of his broken nose that is, but just as I had started to clean the front windscreen Deano said they have followed us out and they are in the car boots they might be getting some weapons, now he freaked me out as well, there was some lads in a car boot but if it was the lads or what they were doing to this day I do not know. We all jumped in the car, Peaker booted it out the car park slipping and sliding in the snow and across the small roundabout outside the club just as a police riot van entered the roundabout. Sods law of all the vehicles that could of entered that round about at that time it had to be a copper. God only knows how we missed it but the blue light came straight on. Shit shit shit Peaker shouting I’m fucked, we are fucked. Picture the scene 4 people sat in a car covered in snow with only a small gap on the windscreen for the driver to see through when a coppers face appears in the gap. I jumped out the car, it is strange how you can be so fucked but straighten up within seconds, the copper starts reading the riot act but I put on my most innocent voice and tell him some lads were about to fill us in so we just got in the car and booted it, unbelievably he started helping me clean the snow off the car! and sent us on our way, unbelievable. I got back in the car and just sat here not really believing what had just happened and the fact he did not question Peaker who was sat behind the wheel, if he had of done Peaker would have been fucked as he was a right mess, and they did not search the car or they would have found all our stash, now that would have really pissed Peaker off..

To this day I don’t know whether we had a lucky escape from a shoe in or it was all in Deano’s mind. Die hard was not the sort of place to have people like that in it but you just don’t know I suppose.
You would just not get away with that today, the coppers are well on top when it comes to having eyes like piss holes in the snow, but back then they were not so clued up lucky for us!!

So for us the night was over we were heading back with a gibbering mess driving and a paranoid freak in the passenger seat. We made it back ok but spent the following day trying to get a massive bent out of the side of Dazs mums prize sierra.

They had come out of the club and Daz was battered, the car being a rear wheel drive he lost control and only smashed into the burger van which did not sell burgers and out jumped 3 big security guys who were not best happy, it was only when one of them saw how fucked Daz was and there was not much damage to there van that them let them go without any problems.

So all in all it was a mad night one I don’t think we will we ever forget the story gets told all the time…I don’t know which was blacker the following day Peakers pupils or his back eyes!!!

by Fantazia forum member Stu (2005)