John Digweed Mourns the Destruction of Legendary Hastings Pier
Written by Infusion Crew    Monday, 25 October 2010 20:26    PDF Print E-mail

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Teenage arsonists have destroyed Hastings Pier, the Victorian era seaside attraction that during the 90s hosted John Digweed's infamous Bedrock parties. Hastings native John Digweed, who hosted numerous wildly popular Bedrock parties on the pier, described it as 'one of biggest attractions in the town for many years'. "This is a real shame," John told Infusion. The Rolling Stones, the Stranglers, Pink Floyd and the Who also performed at the pier in the past while in the early 90s John Digweed transformed it into one of the UK's most influential and popular nightspots, booking virtually all the key DJs and acts of the era. "Pretty much every DJ you can think of from that era played there," said John, "plus we had all the major dance acts, including the Prodigy, Orbital and M People to name just a few. "The Bedrock parties brought an influx of young people into Hastings from all over the UK and they boosted the local economy by spending money in hotels, restaurants and local bars before moving onto the events. The vibe in the main room was always great if a bit hot and sweaty but that always added to the atmosphere," he recalled.

Danny Howells, who also spent many years living in Hastings, was equally upset, "I heard about on the radio while I was asleep, it woke me up," Danny told Infusion. Danny Howells' big break came when he was invited to be a resident at Bedrock, and began by opening for John and Radio 1 's Pete Tong. "John really pulled in so many amazing guests ... Fabio & Grooverider, Billy Nasty, the list is endless and he could tell you more," Danny recalled. A nostalgic Digweed recalled numerous fond pier party memories. "At one sold out event once, somebody was so desperate to get in that they crawled along the underneath that happened to be all covered in slime and seaweed but they got stuck and had to be rescued," he smiled. "We let him in for free but he stunk like Billingsgate fish market." Nice.