In I’m Com’un Home In The Morn’un, photographer Elaine Constantine presents her dynamic and full-colour images that capture the northern soul scene of the 1990s, depicting the extreme aerobics and the unstoppable energy of twenty and thirty somethings.

This work was on display at Martin Parr Foundation 11 JUL - 22 SEPT 2024, and from a new publication published by RRB Photobooks

‘I remember going down those stairs into that dark basement and seeing those shadowy figures moving energetically in sync with each other; it all came back to me in an instant and made me slightly hesitant… It was obvious the scene had gone further underground, the crowd older, little new blood, the records more obscure and the attitude on the dancefloor as fierce as ever. Could I really take pictures in this place? As I suspected it would, the blast from my first flash altered the atmosphere. I braved it to shoot a few more from different angles but things felt worse with each blinding shot. The relief I felt when I heard the familiar opening bars of ‘This Won’t Change’ by Lester Tipton, a fast, raw, jerky yet tender sound. I pushed the camera bag under a chair and got lost dancing in the shadows until morning. The feeling of being some kind of culture vulture left me gradually with each record.’ – Elaine Constantine