The UK’s illegal rave scene has spiked in popularity during lockdown, with gatherings taking place from rural Wales, to London warehouses, to… school bathrooms, apparently. The latter was the venue for a December 11 rave, organised by a 12-year-old boy at St. Antony’s Catholic College in Greater Manchester.
Named Cael Bell, the aspiring (and, TBH, inspirational) DJ invited “all the boys from Year 8” to his underground event over Snapchat. Together, they piled into the boys’ toilets for a lunchtime rave with complimentary bottles of Lucozade and Cadbury Twirls.
However, the rave was pretty short lived, since it was predictably shut down by teachers after 30 minutes. According to Cael’s mum, Louise Bell – who didn’t know her son had arranged the event and only found out once school called – the teachers also seized his equipment, including decks, speakers, and disco lights.
“He had organised a rave in the boys toilets at dinner time, invited all the boys from year eight, so he has now had his speakers and lights confiscated,” she wrote on Facebook. His parents took it pretty well, though. “I waited for Cael coming home from school to snap a picture of him because I knew he would have a face on like he was expecting a telling off,” she told the Mirror. “He was relieved when we saw the funny side but his face in the picture cracks me up.”
“When we asked him why he’d done it, he told us school was boring and that they had nothing to do at lunch time,” Louise adds. “We’re just proud that our son has brought a smile to so many people after such a difficult year. If you can’t laugh, then something’s not right.”
Of course, Cael has also attracted his fair share of fans. While his school friends are calling the house to let him know he’s gone viral, other admirers have set up a fundraiser that urges partygoers and DJs to “support the next generation” and buy him a more professional rig.
