“From early house records played at The State, Bold Street back rooms and Sefton Park raves to the opening of Quadrant Park, Cream and the decade of super clubs and superstars that followed. The exhibition maps out those important clubs and spaces through a timeline interwoven with Mark McNulty’s celebrated photographs, a community led submissions project supported by Museum of Youth Culture and a film made in collaboration with Damien John Kelly House, a recovery living centre based in Wavertree.” – Ezra McConachie, Curator.

From the soul and Motown scene of the 1970s, where people flocked to Fleet street to hear new records played at Timepiece, to the punk and new wave movements that found a home in Eric’s, the cultural landscape of the city has changed since The Beatles at the Cavern. This paved the way for Acid house to land in Liverpool towards the end of the 1980s. 

Through photography by Mark McNulty and memories submitted by the public, Rave On pictures the faces and spaces which saw rave culture bloom in Liverpool in the late 80s and early 90s. The exhibition looks back at a pivotal moment in time, an era defining decade, and is dedicated to the people, places and community that made those dance floors so special.

The Museum of Youth Culture has supported Rave On by hosting an ongoing open call, in the style of a socially engaged photography project. The open call is for submissions of scanned photographs, flyers and memorabilia from the Liverpool club scene from 1987–1999, from the people who experienced it. The Museum will house these digital submissions permanently in their archives, preserving the legacy of this period of youth culture in Liverpool. 

On Digital Window Gallery, a film made by Ezra McConachie in collaboration with Sam Batley and One Day At A Time Boys sees residents from Damien John Kelly House, an addiction recovery facility for men using the power of art and connection, speak about their memories and experiences of raving in Liverpool. Included in the film is celebrated restored footage of one of the many legendary nights in Quadrant Park, a space central to the raving community during this time period.

Highlighting the importance of this period of time in youth culture and in the cultural history of Liverpool as a city, photos and stories collected through this exhibition and our ongoing documentation will become part of the Museum of Youth Culture’s permanent collections. 

The exhibition includes photography from Grant Fleming, Tristan O’Neill, Queue Up and Dance, with special thanks to Mark McNulty, The Museum of Youth Culture, Damien John Kelly House and everyone who submitted to the open call to be part of this exhibition.