Behind the Handle: Tough Luck UK

Tough Luck UK is the Instagram account documenting England’s nightlife and youth culture. Sweaty, messy and often beautiful, a scroll through the platform is a full-throttle journey into the heart of illegal raves, house parties and hedonistic club nights taking place up and down the country every week. Featuring shots taken by undiscovered photographers mixed with a sprinkling of archival images by established names like Elaine Constantine and Ewen Spencer, the account presents a unique snapshot of the UK’s diverse music and fashion movements throughout the decades. Over the past two years, Tough Luck UK has also grown to become something of a community space, where documentary image-makers—in England and the world beyond—submit their photos of wild parties in the hopes of being featured on the page. 

The man behind the platform is 24-year-old Jordan Taylor, who is based in Newcastle in the north of England. Taylor started the account halfway through 2020, while people in Britain and much of the entire world had been inside for months due to the numerous lockdowns, and clubs everywhere had been shuttered indefinitely. “I've always loved photography,” he tells GOAT over Zoom. “I started the account as an archive of photos I liked from different photographers, and it kind of grew from there. I think a lot of people were feeling the same as I did, where they couldn’t go out but wanted to [escape through] photos. Now, a lot of people from England but also from places like Brazil or America, all over, send in photos. It’s evolved to become a community.”

And while the page now features pictures of parties around the world, like its name suggests, the heart of Tough Luck UK is very much based in England’s historic club scene. Asked his opinion as to what sets the UK’s nightlife apart from the rest, Taylor offers: “No offense, but I just don't think you can beat UK nights out—although, having said this, I haven’t been to all these countries [on the page]. No matter what genre it is, the British know how to party, and it's something you can feel in the photos, whether it's a squat in Manchester or a listening party in London. We just know how to put on a good rave.” 

Here, Taylor talks GOAT through six posts which capture the carefree, youthful spirit of Tough Luck UK.