MED 001 | The Haçienda, 1989.

There are certain iconic events, parties, and places that everyone claims to have been at.

For my generation oop north, the place was The Haçienda, and the event was Spike Island.

But we know that everyone who claimed to have been there couldn’t possibly have been there.

At the time, we knew these events were good times not to be missed, but we didn’t know how culturally significant they would become, that being present would later become a kind of "I was there" badge of honour.

We hold these memories like trophies, but why is it so important to us that we were there, and why do we need others to know we were there?

Many brands play into this phenomenon; you may not have been there and gotten the t-shirt at the time, but you can get the t-shirt now, and if you were there, the nostalgia pound is significant currency.

To prove it, here’s me sitting outside The Haçienda one of the many mornings after one of the many Friday nights I was there.

This photo is one of my most prized possessions, but it was taken for a laugh at the time.

I'm wearing Ton Sur Ton, and I still get a bit mushy about wanting a vintage Ton Sur Ton sweatshirt.

As it goes, my mates DID go to Spike Island.

I did NOT go to Spike Island because, honestly, I couldn’t be arsed.

At the time, it was just another gig in another field after a long run of other gigs in other fields.