Rave culture and rise of far right to be tackled by award-winning author who turned his back on gang warfare

Writer Graeme Armstrong will be tackling rave culture and the rise of the far right in his new novel ‘Raveheart.’

He is the rising star of Scotland's literary scene who left behind a life of teenage violence, alcohol abuse and addiction after being given a copy of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting.

Now Graeme Armstrong, whose acclaimed debut novel was inspired by his experiences of gang warfare in his native Lanarkshire, is to tackle rave culture and the rise of the far right in the UK.

Writer Graeme Armstrong will be tackling rave culture and the rise of the far right in his new novel ‘Raveheart.’ | BBC

The new book - which is billed as “a love letter to rave” - has been announced after the Airdrie writer was named one of Britain’s best young novelists in literary magazine Granta's once-in-a-decade list.

More than a year ahead of its publication, the screen adaptation rights have already been snapped up for Raveheart, which is set in a future Britain under a new far-right Government regime cracking down on young people, culture and rave music.

Writer Graeme Armstrong will be tackling rave culture and the rise of the far right in his new novel ‘Raveheart.’ | BBC

A Lanarkshire DJ best known for his time working at The Time Capsule ice rink in Coatbridge leads a "rave revolt" and resurrection of illegal warehouse parties in face of a new secret police force exploring every corner of society.

Armstrong fell into gang culture when he was 13 and by the time he was 14 had been expelled from his high school for fighting. He has credited Trainspotting with changing his life as he went on to study English and creative writing at Stirling University before he secured a publishing deal for The Young Team.

It was shortlisted in the best debut category at Scotland's National Book Awards and won the book of the year honour at the Scots Language Awards.

Now an anti-violence campaigner who has spoken in dozens of schools, Armstrong has previously presented a three-part BBC TV documentary series on Scottish gang culture and a one-off documentary on the Scottish rave scene.

The screen rights to Raveheart have been acquired by Warp Films - producers of film and TV hits like This Is England, Dead Man's Shoes, Everybody is Talking About Jamie and Four Lions - ahead of the book's publication in 2026.

An official announcement described Raveheart as "George Orwell's 1984 meets cult classic film Human Traffic," adding that it was a "high NRG, whip-smart look at the state of modern Britain through the eyes of a disparate band of rave rebels."

Armstrong said Raveheart was a "fever dream" of a novel which had taken the best part of a decade to complete.

He added: "While the majority of my work deals with hard-hitting social themes, Raveheart speaks to the pure joy of rave culture we experienced first-hand in its mid-2000s renaissance in Scotland and to an ever more challenging world beyond.

"The incredible heritage of Scottish rave pioneers before us, combined with our generation’s bedroom bootlegging craze, made for years of endless energy (albeit some chemical), pure passion and mad memories.

"These are the nostalgic driving forces of Raveheart and I can’t wait to share it with the rave and literary communities. Glowsticks at the ready, troops. We’re going in."

The synopsis states: "William Patterson – better known as DJ Turbo – is living a soulless existence after his glory days as resident spinner at a local Coatbridge ice rink, The Time Capsule, have been snatched from him.

"As a far-right UK 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 abolitionist paramilitary.

“Mixing classic hardcore anthems, nu-gen euphoria enthusiasts and psychotropic chemical courtships, they will fight the war for 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?"