Photographs of the northern soul scene in the 1990s by Elaine Constantine are the subject of a new book, published by RRB Photobooks, and exhibition at the Martin Parr Foundation. The photographs, many seen here for the first time, were taken in venues including Manchester’s Ritz, London’s 100 Club, alongside smaller venues such as a lad called Steve’s kitchen.

In the early 1990s Constantine had recently moved from Manchester to London for her photography career and had been commissioned to photograph night clubs for The Face magazine. She was asked to make photographs at the 100 Club where they played rare American 60s and 70s soul 45s (northern soul) all through the night. Constantine had been on the northern soul scene herself up until a few years earlier and was curious to see how it had evolved.