“Unveiling the Grit: Gregory Nolan’s Captivating Lens on the 00s Indie Scene”

“I got into this quite unintentionally,” Gregory Nolan shares. “One evening in 2004, I accidentally spilled a beer on a girl, leading me to strike up a conversation with the gentleman accompanying her, who was initiating a new club night that very weekend.” The gentleman in question was Jay McAllister, known as the indie-folk musician Beans on Toast, seeking original artwork to adorn the walls of his venue. As a budding yet amateur photographer, Nolan presented his “mediocre, A-level art photos.”

Opportunities arose, resulting in Nolan securing a position to photograph the weekly London indie club event Frog. Before long, he found himself fully engaged, seven nights a week, in a realm of sweat-drenched, energetic crowds, dimly lit backstage areas, sticky floors, and hills of Red Stripe beer. Nolan managed to encapsulate the youthful faces of a rising generation of indie artists: the Killers, Amy Winehouse, Arctic Monkeys, Lily Allen, Mark Ronson, Devonté Hynes, and many more. “It was wild,” he reflects. “I never had any money, nobody had jobs, and we were all crashing on each other’s floors, yet often I’d find myself hopping on tour buses and embarking on extraordinary tours with bands.”

Nolan’s portfolio is presently organized under the digital initiative This Was Our Scene, which features over 6,000 of his images. Looking back on a landscape of backstage celebrations in venues that have since disappeared, his work encapsulates a sense of a final celebration. It portrays a time prior to smartphones, rampant social media proliferation, and the incessant recording of everything. “I believe there’s more video documentation of rave culture and Britpop than there is of this era,” he states. “Everyone was accustomed to camcorders with tapes, then we abruptly transitioned to memory cards. And those memory cards were only 16 or 32 megabytes, allowing for video recordings of what, eight seconds? So even though technology experienced a significant leap, it didn’t for everyone. It resulted in a sort of digital void where no one could chronicle this period except with a quality camera.”

The photos captured by Nolan reflect the chaotic, innocent, and indulgent spirit of the time. “I’m not sure how some individuals survived the tumultuous journey that was the 00s,” he admits. “It was a magnificent disaster, but I know of individuals who sank quickly, and some have sadly passed away. Yet thankfully, many managed to emerge from that phase as well.” Nolan captured an astounding 120,000 images during that time, refining it down for this collection, making him quite discerning about what he exposes. “There are no images of individuals using drugs in this collection since it adds no value,” he explains. “Except for [one of] Pete Doherty inhaling from a crack pipe because he insisted I [take it].”

For Nolan, it’s the raw, unrefined, and personal shots of bands in close proximity, combined with the joy evident in the crowd’s expressions, that he is drawn to. Consequently, he is beginning to realize the significance of documenting this lost era that has vanished. “There is genuine historical value in this,” he mentions. “Someone reached out to me, expressing that these are the only images they have from that chapter of their life. That was truly rewarding. You come to recognize that these photographs serve as a genuine time capsule for individuals.”

This Was Our Scene is accessible on the digital mapping platform Soot

The Indie Hub: Five Images from This Was Our Scene

Amy Winehouse
“This was captured at Koko in Camden two months prior to the release of Back to Black,” recounts Nolan. “I didn’t even realize it was her until later – I was merely taking pictures of people. In hindsight, she seems somewhat reserved and introspective. I don’t think the grueling lifestyle had begun yet, as she appears very healthy.”

Girl Observing Dirty Pretty Things
“I turned to witness what was unfolding in the audience and spotted this girl,” Nolan recounts. “Around her, people were moshing, yet she remained still, gazing upward, completely mesmerized by Carl Barât’s presence on stage. I view this as the bond between fan and band; nothing could have interrupted that stare.”

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Florence Welch
“This took place in an ancient Irish pub. There were no drinks available on tap; patrons were required to bring their own and pay £1 per can to consume it there. The acoustics were dreadful, and the stage was adjacent to the restroom. This evening is said to be when Florence was discovered. Nobody was aware of her singing talent until she stood up, and it was spectacular. Absolutely astonishing.”

Babyshambles
“This capture was taken backstage at Frog. I appreciate the way it’s composed with Pete centered and the environment surrounding him along with that enormous bottle of vodka. It’s all quite grimy and dirty, and I believe it perfectly encapsulates the entire atmosphere.”

Crowd surfing
“I refer to this as my renaissance artwork. It showcases absolute pandemonium. It was an all-day event featuring eight bands, and the audience maintained that level of energy throughout. Simply astounding vibes. It resembles a scenario in which a multitude of people were dumped out of a jar, and that’s why it captivates me.”