Helter Skelter: the promoter that outlasted the venue it was built on
Started by a married couple inspired by the M25 orbital raves, and still running events fifteen years and several venues later.
From the M25 to a nightclub
David Pratley and his wife Penny founded Helter Skelter in September 1989, inspired directly by the illegal orbital raves running around the M25 during the acid house years. The first event was one of those same illegal outdoor raves; what followed moved the brand into licensed venues, including a long run at the Sanctuary Music Arena in Milton Keynes, which had a 3,000 capacity when Helter Skelter's events there began.
As the crowd grew, Helter Skelter expanded into the roller rink next door to Sanctuary, taking capacity up to 8,000 - a scaling-up that happened at the same venue covered elsewhere in this section for Dreamscape and Fantazia, all three brands sharing the same Denbigh North building at different points across the decade.
Energy '97
Helter Skelter's peak event was Energy '97 - The Carnival of Dance, held at Turweston Aerodrome in Northamptonshire and drawing 18,000 people across ten marquees, with 85 UK artists, DJs and MCs on the bill in a single event.
The brand kept releasing compilation albums into the 2000s - Hardcore Classics with Ministry of Sound reached number two on the UK Compilation Chart in 2005 - and continued running events at venues including Bowlers in Manchester and, after Sanctuary's 2004 closure, the Plaza in Milton Keynes.