Islington Museum has announced a new exhibition dedicated to Islington’s pioneering nightlife in the 1980s & ‘90s–when Islington rivalled Soho’s music and club culture.
Hardcore, rave, jungle, and house; Ravers and Junglists explores the genres and scenes that grew from acid house, in Islington, and filled clubs across the UK in the 1980s. Some of the earliest British house tunes were laid down by producers from Islington, and in the ‘90s several of the borough’s clubs were pivotal in the jungle and house movements.
Venues like Aquarium, Oceans, Goswell’s, EC1 Club, Turnmills, Paradise (later The Complex), Yellow Cars (Holloway Road), and Rocket launched these genres to national and international popularity.
The museum is partnering with two research projects, both led by individuals with deep roots in Islington. Led by co-curator Tory Turk and inspired by Ray Kinsella, researcher and author, Ravers and Junglists will uncover and preserve objects from the people who once packed the dance floor, showcasing stories and memories tied to Islington’s rich clubbing history.
‘Subcultures don’t just happen; they come about from shared experiences, from night outs, from local creativity. This project captures that spirit; it recognises the clubs of Islington as key sites of cultural change. Help us find objects and preserve memories in our quest to document these movements as living histories.’
– Tory Turk, exhibition co-curator and editor of The Subculture Catalogues.
Get Involved – a call for contributions:
Islington Museum is calling on local residents (past and present) to help build the exhibition by sharing personal memorabilia and memories, including:
Club flyers, posters, tickets, and membership cards
Vintage clubwear and footwear
Personal photographs, video, records, and recordings
If you wish to contribute items or stories should contact Islington Museum at islington.museum@islington.gov.uk by July 31st, 2025. Contributors will be credited, and objects may be featured in the exhibition and The Subculture Catalogues.
Ray Kinsella— whose forthcoming academic study will tell the story of dance music and clubbing culture in Islington—was the starting point for this exhibition. Ravers & Junglists coincides with the October 2025 publication of Kinsella’s Clubbing Culture in Islington, 1985–1995; Rave, Jungle and House.
‘From LGBTQ+ friendly Turnmills to AWOL’s multiracial Jungle nights, to Fabric’s strobe-lit floor, the Islington 90’s club scene shattered social norms and helped shape the evolution of dance music, culture, and community, its impact still reverberates today.’
– Ray Kinsella
MORE: islington.gov.uk/islington-museum/current-exhibition
