WGR Community Forum

# DJ NRG – The Colosseum / North East Rave Another important name from the earlier days of **North East rave** is: ## DJ NRG – Steven Leck Long before the classic New Monkey era, DJ NRG was heavily involved with **The Colosseum in Norton, Stockton-on-Tees**. The original Colosseum operated as an all-night rave venue from **1995–1997** and became one of the best remembered clubs from the Teesside rave scene. NRG Promotions' history says Steven initially worked and guest-DJed at the venue before **he and his dad took the club on**. ## The Colosseum Sound The Colosseum wasn't about just one style. You could hear: **Bouncy Techno Hardcore Happy Hardcore Early German Trance Hard House Euro & Italian Dance** The club became popular well beyond Teesside, with NRG Promotions recalling people travelling from Scotland and the Midlands. ## DJ NRG & The North East MCs Surviving recordings give us a brilliant look at the original era. A recording from **24 February 1996** features: **DJ Crossfade MC Techno-T MC Stompin DJ NRG MC Master Rhyme MC Attack** The recording lasts more than an hour and a half and is still preserved online today. These old sets are important because they show that the North East's famous **DJ + MC culture was already firmly established before the later Makina/New Monkey generation**. ## The Colosseum Returns The original venue closed in **1997**, but the name didn't disappear. Steven and a new team eventually brought **The Colosseum** back for anniversary/revival events, with original resident DJs and MCs appearing alongside newer North East talent. Today NRG Promotions continues working across the North East rave scene through projects including **The Colosseum, The Love Decade, NRG Project and FOMO**. ## An Important Part of Teesside Rave History DJ NRG's story is important because it reminds us that North East rave history didn't begin with the New Monkey. Before the Makina explosion, clubs such as **The Colosseum** were already building a culture around fast rave music, European imports, DJs, MCs and tapes. Those earlier scenes helped lay foundations for what came afterwards. --- ## Were You at The Colosseum? Did you see **DJ NRG** at the original Colosseum? Do you remember **NRG & MC Techno-T**? Maybe you've still got something hidden away from those nights. We're looking for: **Colosseum tapes DJ NRG tapes Rave packs Flyers Tickets Photos Posters VHS recordings Tracklists Old rave website pages** If you've got anything, **post it below**. Especially if you've got original material from **1995–1997** — we'd love to get more of the old Colosseum history documented. **Weedy Garage Radio – Keeping North East Rave History Alive.**