In Pictures: 30 years of raves, clubs and parties in the UK
- Text by Shelley Jones
There’s only one thing better than looking at photos of you and your mates getting mash-up; looking at other people doing it too. So it’s a welcome surprise to see a new exhibition Lost In Music, which documents 30 years of mind-bending exercises – from the organised fun of Butlins goers in the ’80s to the independent souls of the free party scene in the ’90s, and iconic watering holes like the Hacienda and Jungle along the way.
The exhibition, which is being curated by photo lab printspacestudio and youth culture picture agency PYMCA, is billing itself as the largest exhibition of party culture ever, with over 500 images to be displayed in the East London gallery, February 4-17, before it goes off on a world tour.
Interestingly the organisers made the exhibition open submission so a lot of classic club shots have worked their way out of scrapbooks and into the show, meaning it’ll probably be the most diverse collective document of UK party culture ever. And not just the same old debaucherous names.
Some of the photographers featured include Jocelyn Bain Hogg, Brian Cannon, Dean Chalkley, Elaine Constantine, Kevin Cummins, Derek Ridgers, and Dave Swindells. Several subcultures even slip into focus from punk and acid house to techno and hip hop. But if one thing’s consistent it’s the unbridled hedonism that runs throughout. A motif of youth through time.
Lost in Music runs at theprintspace in Shoreditch February 4-17, 2016.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck
“A party is a microcosm of a nation”: Caleb Femi on the decline of the house party
To celebrate the publication of his new collection ‘The Wickedest’, Isaac Muk caught up with Femi to talk more about the work, the future of the shoobs, and discuss why having it large on a Saturday night should be cherished.
Written by: Isaac Muk
Celebrating 20 years of The Mighty Boosh
A new exhibition takes a look behind the scenes of the iconic show two decades after its BBC3 premiere.
Written by: Isaac Muk
We Run Mountains: Black Trail Runners tackle Infinite Trails
Soaking up the altitude and adrenaline at Europe’s flagship trail running event, high in the Austrian Alps, with three rising British runners of colour.
Written by: Phil Young
The organisation levelling the playing field in the music industry
Founded in 2022, The Name Game is committed to helping female, non-binary and trans people navigate the industry.
Written by: Djené Kaba
Vibrant, rebellious portraits of young Cubans
A new photobook captures the young people redefining Cuban identity amidst increased economic and political turbulence on the Caribbean island.
Written by: Isaac Muk
How one photographer documented her own, ever-changing image
In her new photobook ‘A women I once knew’, Rosalind Fox Solomon charts the process of getting older through a series of stark self portraits taken over the course of decades.
Written by: Isaac Muk