London’s subway network has seen a few bizarre things in its time, but never a full-fledged drum ‘n’ bass rave. Until earlier this week, that is.
Organized by YouTube pranksters Trollstation, the event took over an entire subway car on the London Underground’s Bakerloo line that takes travelers right through the center of the capital.
Trollstation didn’t hold back with the setup, either, carrying onto the car a heavy duty sound system, projectors, a mixer, lighting gear, a smoke machine, and microphones.
MC Harry Shotta performed one of the sets, surprising plenty of locals and tourists as they stepped on the train at each station. A video of the unauthorized subterranean party appeared online on Wednesday, and it seems that most subway users who chanced upon the rave seemed more than happy to join in.
“Everyone embraced it, they really enjoyed it” Shotta told BBC Radio on Thursday. “There were all ages, different people from different cultures, different backgrounds … a lot of dancing, a lot of people taking pictures and videos on their phone.”
Shotta added, “There’s a lot of uncertainties in the world right now, it’s a bit crazy, so to jump on the Tube and see this, it’s heartwarming … people really got into the spirit of it, I think it really lifted [people].”
The video ends with several British Transport Police (BTP) officers stepping onto the subway car and calling a halt to proceedings, though it was all done very amicably.
We’ve just removed a fully fledged rave from a Bakerloo Line tube! All light hearted and very co-operative. #Bakerloo running normally.
— BTP Paddington (@BTPPaddington) April 10, 2017
A BTP spokesman said that after speaking with the DJ, he “agreed to turn off the speakers and the light systems. They then left the station.” He added, “Whilst officers relish any opportunity to experience underground drum ‘n’ bass, we’d kindly ask DJs to refrain from using the Tube as a pop-up club.”
“They were very good natured,” Shotta said of the cops. “They were cool, they helped us take the stuff off the train. They definitely handled it in the right way.”
It’s not clear if the driver of the train was aware of the rave, though perhaps they too were moving to the beat as it filtered through the cars to the front.
