EXIST

Sep 18, 2021

If you went raving in the noughties your face could be in new book of photos Street photographer Matthew Smith's new book features ’human rave behaviour’ between 2000 and 2005 Share Glowsticks and gurns dominated the UK’s dancefloors when the rave scene went mainstream. Once the preserve of illegal free parties and soundsystem culture, the ‘noughties’ saw the underground dance culture move indoors - and explode into a legitimate industry. Drenched in sweat - and in various states of undress and inebriation - ecstatic and uninhibited clubbers escaped from reality in a neon wonderland, to a soundtrack of distorted bass and repetitive beats. It was an era before camera phones became ubiquitous - and Instagram selfies and Snapchat filters became an obsession. But your best (or worst) bass face could still have been captured on camera - and it may even feature in a new art book, featuring photos of ’human rave behaviour’ between 2000 and 2005. Vivid scenes from venues around the UK (and further afield) have been published in a kaleidoscopic collection of photographs by street photographer Matthew Smith - aka Mattko. His new book ‘ Full On. Non-Stop, All Over ’ documents those naughty noughties nights in glorious style. Rock Launch, Bristol “People bought into rave culture, and I was getting paid by magazines to do what I love - hanging out with ravers,” recalls Matt, whose photos of raves, protests and free party culture were displayed at the Saatchi Gallery in 2019. At the start of the 21st century, after years spent on the fringes of society, in the ‘free party’ scene and traveller communities of the 1980s and ‘90s, Matt - like the culture he loved - went ‘legit’. (Image: Matthew Smith)1 of 16 Garage Nation, Swindon In an essay accompanying ‘ Full On. Non -Stop, All Over ’, Matt writes: “By the turn of the millennium, the music had evolved into genres, subcultures and styles that promoters were eager to market and people were eager to identify with.” A plethora of magazines hit newsstands, promoting and celebrating (or cashing in) on the ‘new’ music scenes. (Image: Matthew Smith)2 of 16 Species, Bristol “Sometimes I’d just blag guest list for an interesting night and go along with the camera,” says Matt, “sometimes I’d be commissioned to go to certain events. “The mags were always keen to feature the work, promoters loved the free marketing - and, for a few years, I earned a basic living from it.” (Image: Matthew Smith)3 of 16 VPA launch, Taunton “Working out of Bristol I travelled the length and breadth of the county. I was always off to a rave, always looking for the free party people.” It’s the images Matt took on these expeditions - to Manchester, London and Leeds, Swansea, Bristol and Exeter, and into smaller towns like Taunton where he grew up - that feature in the book. (Image: Matthew Smith)4 of 16 And yet, just a few years earlier, this very same culture had effectively been criminalised. In his previous book, 2017’s Exist to Resist, Matt documented the free parties of the early 90s - and the protests against 1994’s Criminal Justice Act - which Matt says “outlawed travellers, ravers and effective protest”. (Image: Matthew Smith)5 of 16 Candyflip, Bristol Many of these protests had their roots in Bristol and the wider south west - with Matt accompanying westcountry soundsystem rigs as they took to the streets of London. Phoenix-like, the legal rave scene featured in ‘ Full On. Non -Stop, All Over ’ emerged from the ashes of the free party culture that had been criminalised by 1994’s legislation, as documented in Exist to Resist. (Image: Matthew Smith)6 of 16 Scream, Bristol “The Criminal Justice Act enclosed a popular cultural phenomenon,” says Matt. “It created the market rules for it to be sold back to people. “The culture was repackaged and marketed - it became an industry.” (Image: Matthew Smith)7 of 16 Movement, Leeds “It was an interesting time. People were now paying entry fees. The events were now licensed, with local councils, police and private security companies regulating the environment. “But people - ravers - were behaving exactly the same as before.” (Image: Matthew Smith)8 of 16 Feverish, Bristol This all happened, Matt says, during the “first great narrative of fear of the new millennium - 9/11 and the war of terror”. While, on the surface, ‘ Full On. Non -Stop, All Over ’ is a collection of photos of ravers living life to the full, Matt says it also documents people “not buying into that narrative of fear”. (Image: Matthew Smith)9 of 16 Tidy Weekender, Prestatyn Three decades after the events Matt documented in Exist to Resist, there have been new protests over another set of new laws currently passing through Parliament. Critics say the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill 2021 will curtail the right to protest - and the ability to live in vehicles and enjoy a ‘traveller’ lifestyle - much like 1994’s Criminal Justice Act. (Image: Matthew Smith)10 of 16 Run to the Sun, Newquay, Cornwall Once again, Bristol is at the forefront of the protests. The city saw ugly scenes during the ‘Kill the Bill’ marches earlier his year, with protesters and police officers alike injured during violent clashes. And we’ve also seen another “narrative of fear” - the Covid-19 pandemic, which has had a devastating impact on the legal events industry spawned by the illegal raves of the 80s and 90s. (Image: Matthew Smith)11 of 16 Slinky, Exeter Westpoint Clubs were forced to close and festivals were cancelled, as the world waged war against a virus. Illegal raves sprang up during lockdown and the Government once again cracked down on the ‘free party’ culture, this time by using Covid-19 legislation. The clubs may now have reopened - and festivals started taking place again this summer - but they are more tightly regulated than ever, due to Covid. (Image: Matthew Smith)12 of 16 Spank, London Matt says he believes that while the rave and free party culture has “been turned into a massively successful creative industry”, it “still holds an awful lot of everything that’s in opposition to Government”. “The government doesn’t like public expressions of opposition,” claims Matt. (Image: Matthew Smith)13 of 16 Gatecrasher, Long Marston “It criminalized the culture in the '90s - and then, like every good capitalist, it sold it back to the people in a big way, with added caveats and procedures. “And now with all the data you have to provide to access that culture.” (Image: Matthew Smith)14 of 16 Kool Waters, Taunton Matt’s work is currently on show alongside the likes of Banksy and Swoon at Bristol’s MShed museum, as part of its ‘Vanguard’ exhibition, which celebrates the city’s role at the forefront of the British street art scene. (Image: Matthew Smith)15 of 16 Faceparty, Hackney