90s House and Rave Scene | Photographs by Mark McNulty

Mark McNulty is a portrait and documentary photographer from Liverpool who has been active since the mid-1980s. Most of his work has focused on his hometown, featuring bands, club nights, and faces that the city produces.

Mark documented many hedonistic nights at Liverpool’s legendary Quadrant Park, 051 Club, and The State. Aside from his home city, he ventured all over UK clubland capturing everything from youthful rave nights at Rezerection in Edinburgh to the era of the “superclub” at venues such as Cream, Sankeys Soap, and Back to Basics in Leeds.

Cream, Liverpool, 1995.
Cream, Liverpool, 1995.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

8 Orgasms

Mark “‘One of the first club nights I photographed was called 8 Orgasms, at Macmillan’s in Liverpool. I had been going to the club for a while and started to meet people on the scene. Peter Coyle, the previous singer of The Lotus Eaters, organised the night with a group of other people. It mixed live music with performance art and karaoke. They also had John McCready, who was a resident DJ for the night, and it was one of the first places where I heard house music in Liverpool.”

8 Orgasms Liverpool, late 1980s.
8 Orgasms at Macmillan's.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Quadrant Park

Mark “My first published work was for a Manchester magazine called Avant. This was the first time I photographed Quadrant Park, which was based in a massive old warehouse in Bootle. It was a mad place really, with people travelling from all over. It was just one big dance floor!”

Quadrant Park. Liverpool, 1990.
Quadrant Park, Liverpool, 1990.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Superclub Era

“I started sending my work to magazines, such as i-D, The Face, and Mixmag. After they saw the shots I was taking, they sent me all over the place, capturing the scene as it exploded into the superclub era of the mid-90s.

I got to take my camera around the UK, capturing some iconic nights and DJs as they broke onto the scene.”

Daft Punk at The Heavenly Social, 1996.
Daft Punk at The Heavenly Social, 1996.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

“I have never stopped, and I am still working as a photographer. Music and arts documentation have never been far from my cameras, but I have been fortunate enough to work across all kinds of different sectors, from TV companies to museums, arts organisations, and numerous brands.”

Gallery

Universe Rave, Bath, 1990s.
Universe Rave, Bath, 1990s.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Club XPO, Burnley, 1996.
Club XPO, Burnley, 1996.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Pandora's Box, Leicester, 1990s.
Pandora's Box, Leicester, 1990s.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Voodoo, Liverpool, 1990s.
Voodoo, Liverpool, 1990s.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Bugged Out at Sankeys Soap, Manchester, 1990s.
Bugged Out at Sankeys Soap, Manchester, 1990s.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Rezerection, Edinburgh, 1990s.
Rezerection, Edinburgh, 1990s.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Lakota, Bristol, 1990s.
Revolution at Lakota, Bristol, 1990s.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Herbal Tea Party, Manchester, 1990s.
Herbal Tea Party, Manchester, 1990s.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

Voodoo, Liverpool, 1990s.
Voodoo, Liverpool with 'Flat Eric' 1999.

Photo © Mark McNulty.

MARK MCNULTY WEBSITE

All images © Mark McNulty, all rights reserved. No usage or reproduction of any kind without prior permission of the copyright holder.

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