Tony Davis

Tony Davis is a British documentary photographer whose work spans rave culture, football and the changing social landscape of Britain from the late 1980s onwards.

Born and raised on Nottingham’s Clifton Estate, Davis came to photography as an adult, beginning formal study around 1989 after a succession of jobs. Football had already been part of his life for many years, alongside punk and Northern Soul, and he travelled regularly to matches and all-nighters including Wigan Casino. These experiences became important foundations for his later photography.

At the beginning of the 1990s, Davis photographed the emerging rave scene in Nottingham and the Midlands. His archive includes DiY events at the Marcus Garvey Centre, Venus and Kool Kat in Nottingham, The Eclipse in Coventry, and ravers gathering at Sandbach Services after nights at Shelley’s Laserdome. Working close to the people he photographed, Davis often made only a small number of exposures, waiting for a moment rather than directing it. He has described his position as “half in and half out” — close enough to understand the culture while remaining an observer.

Alongside this work, Davis photographed football supporters, grounds and the spaces surrounding the game throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s. His archive includes Stoke, Birmingham, Derby, Chesterfield, Millwall, Glasgow and major international tournaments. In 2000–2001 he was commissioned by the National Football Museum to photograph all 92 League grounds.

Across both bodies of work, Davis’s attention frequently turns away from the principal event itself. His photographs concentrate on crowds, journeys, streets, barriers, service stations, terraces and the relationship between people and place. Together, they document forms of British social and youth culture during a period of substantial change.

Tony Davis’s selected photographic work is represented by British Culture Archive for print sales and image licensing.