nightlife

London clubs and bars

I’m not a natural clubber. Never really have been. I became a club photographer by chance, having been asked in 2015 almost simultaneously by both Club Kali and QX Magazine if I would be interested. In the case of QX, they were only looking for someone to help them out. Three years later I’m still at it, at the high point, shooting every weekend in at least one club, usually two or three.

Despite my lack of specific interest in clubbing, I enjoy photographing in clubs. I am, by nature, a witness, a spectator, which is clearly why I feel so at home taking pictures. Being asked to photograph an event, not only gives me a reason to be there but also something to do once I’m there. And of course, I am in my own limited and imperfect way recording a tiny chunk of social history.

Once in a club, I fleetingly interact with some of the revellers, and, more importantly, I’m able to soak in the energy and atmosphere of the night. Those can, somehow, be very varied. Each venue, each night, has its own clientele, caters for its own little clique and therefore develops its own vibe; an ethereal and intangible alchemy takes place as the music pulses, the bodies sway and the night wears on.

Hopefully my images capture and retain some of that.

(A version of this appeared in Jack The Lad in January 2019 as introduction to a selection of my images)