Talking Passions: Bradley Gunn Raver

This week we feature the ball of energy that is Bradley Gunn Raver. Hailing from just down the road in Taunton, but spending a lot of his time dancing to the sounds of Bristol’s underground music, the number one spokesperson for sober raving has strutted his stuff at at raves up and down the country and recently starred in a short documentary courtesy of Aspect and Foxleaf Media. With a very busy rave schedule including several of his own events, Brad managed fit me in recently for a cup of tea and a chat about his passion for music and raving…

Adam Chisman (TP): “As a young boy, what did you want to be when you grew up and how did you get to where you are now?”

Bradley Gunn Raver (BGR): “I don’t think I actually had much of a plan, I just lived a day at a time, as I do. How did I get to where I am now? When I turned eighteen I just started going out and got really really into it. I started exploring the music more and it just sort of became a weekend job.”

TP: “I love that, and in a recent short documentary on you mention that you sometimes get to raves an hour early to avoid queues, and that you’re always the last to leave. Can you tell me about some of your influences over the years and what lead you to enjoy raving as much as you do?”

BGR: “I think I got myself into it, but I did meet one guy who I went raving with for a while. We were like a raving duo, every weekend. We were like, ‘We wanna be there dancing from the start to the finish!’ So we started getting there really early to be the first ones in, and then we left at the end. We’d just smash it all night!”

TP: “Nice. And how about some of your heroes in the House and Techno scene?”

BGR: “So I started raving in the Drum & Bass scene. That’s what I got introduced to. I loved it and I still like it. But after a while my mate was like, ‘Do you wanna try out some Techno?’ And I was like, ‘Alright!’ And it’s just a different crowd and a different vibe, and I kind of fell in love with it. It’s just that solid 120bpm beat that you can just go all night to without breaks. Yeah, I think it was just that I could dance to it all night, lose myself in the music and just forget about everything.”

TP: “Is that one of the things that draws you to it the most, just being in the moment?”

BGR. “Yeah, because thought I’m raving sober, I mentally don’t feel sober. I don’t even think about it, I just feel lost. You just forget who you are, and after it you’re like, ‘Well, what just happened?!’” 

TP: “Awesome. Well, as raving has almost become your life on the weekends, you must have had some amazing moments and been to some amazing events. Can you tell me about one of your favourite raves recently?”

BGR: “That’s a really hard question, because I go to so many. A lot of people ask me what I did last weekend and I can’t remember, because it all just fades into one long weekend. But my favourite place to rave is the Tobacco Dock in London. LWE host there because they are just something else! It’s this venue in London, it’s an old tobacco factory and you’ve got the main gallery upstairs, and then you’ve got a car park underneath. Nothing to it, it’s just a nice cold car park with a stage set up. And it’s just absolutely crazy. There’s lasers flying around…”

TP: “Is it the crowd there that you particularly love?”

BGR: “I think for the crowd I’ve gotta pick Birmingham, because they’ve just got a whole different attitude towards raving that I absolutely love. They’re on the same level as me. They go all night. But there’s no best place, it really depends on the event, so it could be anywhere. You’ve got to live one day at a time.”

TP: “Absolutely. And talking about living in the moment, rave culture is often paired with drug culture. But you champion raving sober and have become a bit of a spokesperson for enjoying yourself and the music without the need for drugs. What would you say to someone to change their perception on what rave culture can be?”

BGR: “Well at the end of the day, as long as you’re enjoying yourself it doesn’t really matter if you’re sober or not. But if you can enjoy it sober that’s even better. People are like, ‘How can you do it?’ Well you haven’t tried it yet. Just see what it’s like. If you don’t like it, fine, just carry on doing what you’re doing. But if you do like it then it opens your mind a little bit. As long as you enjoy it and you’re there for the music then that’s all that matters, really. But you’ve gotta be there for the music. You can’t be there because you want to get wrecked.”

TP: “Well it’s very clear you’re there for the music, and often people talk about raves and festivals in terms of the amazing people that they met there that also share the same passion for the music they do. Can you tell me about some of the friends you have made through raving and the opportunities it has lead to?”

BGR: “Oh I’ve met so many friends through raving! Some of my best mates. Without meeting all these people my life wouldn’t be the same. It’s transformed my life. So yeah, I’ve met a lot of really good friends, and I’ve met a lot of people who work in the industry, too, so I get to work with them on things. So now I’ve got a little series of raves coming up around the UK. I’ve linked up with FXtion Records, who are a new record label just starting up. They need to do events to get themselves out there so they’ve teamed up with me. We’ve got our first event in Bristol on the 9th of July, and we’ve got quite a nice line-up. We’ve got Alexis Raphael, SEFF, Tommy Vercetti, Mhod from Elrow, and a load of other smaller DJ’s from around the country that are coming down. And then we’re looking at going to Birmingham after that, and then doing one in each city. See how it goes. And if it goes well we can then branch out into Europe… if we stay in the EU? To which we’re all gonna vote yes. We don’t wanna be kicked out of Europe when we’re mid-way through a rave! There’s also my all day rave coming up on May 1, bank holiday Sunday, which is an all day one. Midday til 9 pm, and that’s with Banjax breakfast club. That came about because I was just at a festival in Bristol and I kind of knew who they were. And I was like, ‘Do you wanna do a rave together?’ And they were like, ‘Yeah, alright!’”

TP. “Nice! Everyone just loves it so much, don’t they? You just need to point them in the right direction. And how about your Monday Evening Rave Sessions?”

BGR. “Yeah, that started really randomly actually. I was at a rave on the weekend and they recorded a set from it. Then Alex chucked it on Facebook and I was like, ‘Do you know what, I’m gonna listen to this live on Facebook and just dance around my room!’ So I was just dancing around my room to this mix on Facebook live stream, and then it kind of went on for a few hours more of me just putting tunes on, playing them on Youtube. And so we did that for a few weeks and then I was like, ‘Wait, I’ll get some DJ’s in to play music for me and I’ll just rave around.’ So I got my mate Fraser down and he did a mix. And then every week since then we’ve had DJ’s coming down and doing a mix for an hour and a half, and I just rave around. And now we’ve got Tommy Vercetti coming down, and we’ve got it into a club next month. It’s at Basement 45 on the 16th of May. It’s 8 pm until midnight, so four hours of raving on a Monday night. The new Monday night has appeared. Every week something new has come along and I’m like, ‘Yeah, let’s do it!’ When every opportunity comes around don’t turn it down, just think ‘We’re doing it!’”

TP: “I love the twists and turns. I know you also kind of champion rave wear, and I’ve seen some amazing outfits. Have you got a favourite?”

BGR: “Well, I have my rave kit. It’s just a weekly thing. I’ve got my running tights… they’re just Adidas or whatever, but now they’re rave-tights because you can move in them, and you don’t sweat. So when you leave you can be all nice and fresh. And then I’ve got this waist water-bottle pack, where I chuck my bottles and I can just forget about them, rave around for a bit, and then I’m like, ‘Oh yes, some water!’ I don’t really wanna carry a bottle around with me because it’s a bit annoying. And then I’ve got my headband. Some rave goggles, which have no reason, but I like them. And that’s the rave kit.”

TP: Sounds great. Okay then, finally, what would you say to someone who’s just discovering raving for the first time?”

BGR: “Oh, just smash it! Just go and rave all night and enjoy yourself. Just forget about who you are and who everyone else is and go for it!”

Here’s a feature on Bristol24/7 called Talking Passions. It’s a Bristol-based interview series that hopes to inspire your creative side by interviewing passionate individuals in Bristol’s arts and music scenes. The driving force behind the series is a belief that within each of us is a creative soul with untold capabilities. It’s not always easy to follow your dreams and try to make it work, and it should be celebrated!

Started by local journalist Adam Chisman, and with links to various Collectives in the city including Liquifyah, The Coconut Collective, as well as Irish online magazine Ceol Caint, Talking Passions comes in two weekly parts, with brand new written interviews on talkingpassions.com and Bristol24/7 and audio interviews on BCFM’s The Bristol Music Show and Soundcloud. 

If you’d like to know more about Bradley you can find him on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Soundcloud.

Words: Adam Chisman (Talking Passions)

Pictures: Bradley Gunn Raver

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