There are stories that have been told in fragments for decades, pieced together through fanzines, mixtapes, and late-night conversations between people who were there. The story of the British rave revolution is one of them. Now it has a documentary, and it is heading into cinemas across the UK, Ireland, the United States, and beyond.
Rave Culture: A New Era is directed by Eduardo Cubillo Blasco and runs 87 minutes. Completed in 2025, it traces the emergence of the British underground rave scene from its origins in the late 1980s, when a generation of young people, locked out of economic prosperity under Thatcher, found something vital and transformative in abandoned warehouses and fields. The film positions breakbeat as the sound at the centre of that revolution, drawing on Detroit techno, Chicago house, and New York hip hop to produce something distinctly and defiantly British.
The film features an impressive roll call of people who shaped the scene from the inside: Orbital, Leeroy Thornhill of The Prodigy, Goldie, General Levy, Baby D, DJ Rap, Slipmatt, Altern 8, Jumpin Jack Frost, Bryan Gee, Fabio, DJ Hype, The Ragga Twins, Bassline Smith, DJ Brockie, Uncle Dugs, Sarah Sandy, Shades Of Rhythm, Nick Halkes, DJ Ron, Master Pasha, The House Crew, DJ Darren Jay, Junior Tomlin, and others. These are not talking heads recruited for credibility. They are the architects of the culture the film documents, and their presence gives the project genuine weight.
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Terminal V has revealed Clydeside Live, a new dedicated open-air event space, as the home of its landmark 10th anniversary festivalThe release is being handled by Doc’n Roll Films, the independent company built on distributing music documentaries that fall outside the mainstream. The screening tour is already generating significant demand. The Nottingham date at the Savoy on 15 April sold out, the London encore at the Rio Cinema on 25 April is on sale following extreme demand for the original run, and both the Newcastle Tyneside date on 30 April and the Brooklyn NYC premiere at Nitehawk Williamsburg on 5 May are close to selling out.
The full confirmed and upcoming screening schedule is as follows:
Irish Premiere (Director and Producer Q&A): 8 April 2026, 18:30, Lighthouse Cinema, Dublin
Birmingham Premiere: 10 April 2026, 20:00, Mockingbird Cinema, Birmingham
Sold Out: 15 April 2026, 18:45, Savoy, Nottingham
San Francisco Premiere: 23 April 2026, 19:30, 4 Star Theatre, San Francisco
London Encore: 25 April 2026, 20:00, Rio Cinema, London
Newcastle (Final Tickets Remaining): 30 April 2026, 20:30, Tyneside Cinema, Newcastle
NYC Premiere (Final Tickets Remaining): 5 May 2026, 19:00, Nitehawk Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Miami Premiere: 13 May 2026, Miami Beach Bandshell, Miami
Cardiff: 14 May 2026, Chapter, Cardiff
Glasgow Premiere: 15 May 2026, 20:40, Glasgow Film Theatre
Manchester Premiere: 15 May 2026, 19:30, Cultplex, Manchester
Bristol Premiere: 19 May 2026, 20:00, Cube Cinema, Bristol
Edinburgh: Cameo, April (date TBA)
Leeds: Hyde Park Picturehouse (date TBA)
Exeter: Phoenix, May (date TBA)
Additional cities are expected to be announced. International festival bookings are being handled directly through Doc’n Roll Films.
The timing is not incidental. Thirty-plus years on, the rave era continues to be reappraised, sampled, and referenced by producers and DJs who were not yet born when it happened. A documentary built from never-before-seen archival footage and first-hand testimony from the people who lived it has every reason to find an audience well beyond those who were there the first time.
Tickets and further information are available at docnrollfestival.com
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