

The rave scene that almost tore Sunderland apart — one pill at a time.
An independent documentary focusing on the Blue Monkey and New Monkey nightclubs in Sunderland. The dawn of the rave scene in the late 80s and early 90s changed the face of music forever and left a legacy that still continues to this day. Hear the stories of those who lived through it and were involved in the North East scene at the beggining. From raid to ruins, we shed light on the rise and fall of the Blue Monkey and New Monkey nightclubs investigating the music and the controversy that came with the all night rave clubs.
Production
Rare archive footage of actual Monkey raids.
Sound
Banging hardcore soundtrack, obviously.
Director
Rob Kilburn
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
The New Monkey's closure in 2006 followed a notorious BBC Panorama investigation that secretly filmed drug deals inside.
Sunderland's hardcore scene produced national DJ talent despite being 300 miles from London's club infrastructure — pure northern graft.