Glamour & Trash: Ralf Obergfell on His Queer East London Years
From private afterparties in Dalston’s back alleys to a thriving creative queer community that knew how to have fun, and invited you to join them, photographer and GutterSlut co-creator Ralf Obergfell revisits the people, parties and beautiful chaos of East London, 2005–2015.
Before nightlife became something to document, it was something you disappeared into. No stories to post, no phones held above the dancefloor, no pressure to prove you were having the time of your life. Just sweat, homemade outfits, questionable decisions together with people you ended up calling family.
In his new limited-edition photobook, The East London Years: A Homage to Glamour and Trash, German artist and photographer Ralf Obergfell takes us back to a decade of queer East London defined by DIY spirit, creative misfits, sexual freedom and parties that occasionally lasted for days. As co-creator of the legendary club night GutterSlut, he wasn't just watching from behind the lens, he was right in the thick of it.
From the chaos of Crack Alley and the rise of Dalston Pride to sweaty dancefloors and the wonderfully weird world surrounding them, the photographs capture a community that made things happen on its own terms. This was an East London before the full force of gentrification, when artists and outsiders were shaping their own spaces a tad bit more freely and they didn't depend on an algorithm to find their people.
Of course, underground nightlife hasn't disappeared. Berlin and London are still full of spaces where phones go away and the outside world can wait. But in an era of constant exposure, what does it take for a scene to stay underground, and what happens when the rest of the world catches on?
Now based in Berlin, Obergfell looks back on the people, places and creative hunger that made those years special. We caught up with him to talk GutterSlut, queer community, the slippery line between underground and mainstream, and why some nights are better left off your camera roll.
01. You call this book a portrait of a lost scene. When did you realise that the world you were photographing was disappearing, and how — or did it take leaving London to see it that way?
I realised it the moment I stepped into Per and Tony’s old home (“Dalston Wonderland”) in 2005, the old cheese factory that later also became my home. The people, the creatives, the parties, the clubs that made up our community were so unique. I had not experienced anything like that before and knew I wouldn’t experience anything like that ever again. So in a way, the days were already numbered from the outset.
We can play the music we love, get our friends and their friends to come down and get laid
02. Tell us about GutterSlut. What made a night at GutterSlut what it was? How did you find your people?
GutterSlut was the result of the trashy afterparties we had in “Crack Alley”. Some would last for days and with every party more people turned up. Eventually the parties became known as Dalston Pride. We (Per, Nic, Elliott and I) thought, “Why not take Dalston Pride out of Crack Alley and into a club? We can play the music we love, get our friends and their friends to come down and get laid.
03. You were both organising the party and documenting the people inside. How were you in both roles? Did you have a split personality or was it the same?
Per, Nic and Elliott, together with our resident MC Ms Crystal MC, were all DJs and GutterSlut residents. In a way, they were the faces of the party as they performed and were in front of the crowd. As more of an introvert, I probably felt more comfortable being behind the camera and organising behind the scenes. GutterSlut had two dancefloors. On the main floor, our residents played Electro/Techno. In the DiscoSlut room, we played Pop/Trash/RNB. For a while, I was also a DiscoSlut resident. Although I never really felt comfortable with the attention a DJ gets. I just never saw myself being a “DJ”. So we decided to book guest DJs and let them host the DiscoSlut floor instead. I felt blessed.
04. What does the queer underground give people that mainstream gay culture couldn’t, or wouldn’t? And how would you define the underground scene today?
With regards to the East London queer underground back in the Noughties, it was a bit like… The East London club kids were a bit bored of the mainstream “tops-off” gay clubs in Central and South London. GutterSlut provided a platform and safe space for anyone who freely wanted to express themselves — different from the norm, which I guess reflected the DNA of our community. I’m not sure how to define an underground scene of today? Is there actually still an “underground” scene today, or has everything become “mainstream” because of social media?
The creative tribe of misfits were the driving forces shaping the years
05. Can a subculture survive once it becomes desirable? Or is the moment everyone wants in precisely the moment it’s over?
Do subcultures still exist with constant social media exposure? Social media was in its infancy during The East London Years. When we did GutterSlut, the party became bigger as time went on. More people, the “mainstream” turned up. So in a way, yes, it becomes more desirable and that is probably the moment when the party is over.
06. If someone who was born in 2005 picked up this book, what do you think would be hardest for them to understand about the world inside it?
Probably that we didn’t have smartphones. It was the time before constant self-presentation and overexposure. We were dancing, connecting with each other, losing ourselves in the music and not constantly taking pictures.
07. Looking back, what do you think held the community together?
There was a strong community, a collective spirit with street cred that brought us all together. We didn’t have much money yet everyone was doing exciting projects with a strong sense of freedom and hunger to create. The artists, the creative tribe of fits and misfits, were the driving forces shaping those particular years that laid the foundation of what was to come.
08. Berlin has its own mythology of hedonism, sexual freedom and underground culture. Having experienced both cities, how would you describe the two?
I think both cities offer hedonism and sexual freedom. However, with Berlin I realised it’s an entirely different beast in its own particular way.
Berlin ticked all the boxes
09. You moved from London to Berlin in 2010. What did Berlin offer you at that moment that London no longer could?
After almost 20 years of London, it was time for a change. East London became more gentrified. I missed the excitement and inspirations. Quite a few East London artists had left at that time and went to Berlin. I wanted to create new work in a new city that served as a new blank canvas. I was also longing for my own studio. Berlin ticked all the boxes.
10. If GutterSlut opened its doors tomorrow, what would you keep exactly as it was, and what would you absolutely refuse to bring back?
GutterSlut was a very moment in time that lasted for 7 years. It is impossible to bring it back. We wouldn’t want to either. I think we have all moved on.
Interview by Amanda Sandström
