Raveheart

A high NRG, whip-smart look at the state of modern Britain through the eyes of a disparate band of rave rebels, from the author of the acclaimed, bestselling debut The Young Team and one of Granta’s Best of Young British Novelists.

William Patterson – better known as DJ Turbo – is living a dystopian nightmare after his glory days as resident spinner at a local Coatbridge ice rink, The Time Capsule, have been snatched from him. As an ultranationalist regime sweeps to power, ‘The New Greatest Britishest Party’ cracks down on youth culture, drugs and – the final straw – electronica. Incensed by a blanket ban of their beloved tunes, Turbo and his comrades launch a rave revolt – resurrecting the illegal warehouse parties of the past in this new darker, monolithic Greatest Britain, as a powerful act of resistance.

But, as the political situation escalates and secret police surveil every corner of society, Turbo and his troops fly ever closer to the sun in the dangerous world of the anti-rave abolition paramilitary. Mixing euphoric anthems, psychotropic chemicals and peaceful insurrection, they will fight the war of the rave. Deciding who to trust – and who may betray the cause – is everything. The future of the whole nation is on the line … can Turbo be the hero not just of rave, but of Scotland?

Hilarious, tragic and incredibly clever all at once, this narcotic trip of a novel is a meta, mayhem-filled, cultural coup d'état and cult classic in the making, from one of the most electrifying young writers in Britain today.

Reviews

PRAISE FOR THE YOUNG TEAM:

'Raw and lyrical. Written in a voice that recalls Irvine Welsh and Alan Warner – dialect that fizzes off the page' Observer

'The Young Team is a book full of guts, power, humour and humanity. This is a community not often seen in literature, depicted by a talented writer who intimately knows that world and the truth of this is seared in every sentence' Kerry Hudson, author of Lowborn

'Graeme Armstrong’s debut novel is an instant Scottish classic' The Skinny

'Vivid, dynamic and sharp as a whip' Janice Galloway, author of The Trick is to Keep Breathing

'Phenomenal. It’s been ages since I read a book so funny, visceral, or powerful' David Whitehouse, author of Bed and The Long Forgotten

About the author

GRAEME ARMSTRONG is best-known for multi-award-winning gang epic The Young Team (Picador, 2020)… but during Scotland’s rave renaissance, he attended countless events and took many mind-altering chemicals – he is a perfect guide into this world… and probably lucky to be alive.

Graeme now lives substance free, but his lifelong passion for electronic dance music remains unchanged. Inspired by Raveheart, his BAFTA and RTS Scotland nominated documentary Scotland the Rave (BBC, 2021) was featured in top industry publications DJ Mag and Mix Mag. He is respected by many artists in the Scottish scene and beyond as a cultural ambassador… but most of all, as a rave super-fan.