Spiral Tribe to host free exhibition in Manchester celebrating '90s free rave culture
Bringing their story “out of the shadows”, the collective document the legacy of the free party movement with rare material
A free exhibition documenting the pervasive impact of music collective Spiral Tribe on UK party culture is arriving in Manchester on November 19.
Curated by original members of the legendary collective, the four-day exhibition at Spectrum Studios will showcase rare archival photography and footage from the groups’ original UK raves and European excursions.
The exhibition will host workshops, Q&As and masterclasses, alongside a screening of Aaron Trinder’s 2025 doc Free Party: A Folk History, on November 22.
Founding Spiral Tribe member Mark Angelo Harrison told Mixmag: “All of us realise how important it is to document the people’s history. Especially in a world dominated by the warped narratives of business and the old school institutions of wealth and power.”
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“Ixy, Debbie and Simone (members of Spiral Tribe) were the main instigators of the Spiral Expo idea,” Harrison adds. “Debbie had painstakingly archived much of the Spiral photos, flyers and newspaper cuttings. Ixy has always had an active interest in history.”
Spiral Tribe’s fabled soundsystem emerged in 1990, staging underground raves in abandoned London buildings. As their growing popularity prompted a relocation to the Gloucestershire countryside, their free outdoor parties drew in thousands. The collective continue to host events today.
“Bringing our story out of the shadows, with original photos, examples of artwork, film and the book, is the perfect way of communicating this untold history. A history that counters the catastrophic direction of travel that elites are ever pushing us all towards. A story as relevant now as it ever was.”
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Harrison continued: “Despite being one of modern culture's most enduring movements, the free party scene has consistently been marginalised and criminalised.”
The exhibition will wrap up with an event - named SP23 - at Manchester club Hidden, organised by Mood Swings Events and Block 23.
“When we started off as a DIY venue ten years ago, so much of that inspiration came from free parties and Spiral Tribe," says Josh Howard, booking manager at Hidden. “Everyone involved in the business came from that background. So it’s definitely a full circle moment for us. To really go back to our roots.”
Buy tickets to the screening here, and grab tickets to the SP23 party at Hidden here.
Annabel Cradock is a freelance journalist, follow her on Instagram.