London's '00s indie scene exhibition debuts on Thursday in Fumbally Exchange

London, the mid-noughties, a scene. The Libertines, Mumford and Sons, Frank Turner, Dan Smith (later of Bastille), Florence and the Machine, Razorlight and others, though inhabiting different genres, were filling clubs and venues all over the city. And then there were the fans - young, dedicated, party people; serious music lovers.

It was the best of times and Gregory Nolan, a young Irish photographer, was there. On stage, backstage, moving between increasing numbers of devotees, Nolan’s near non-stop photography produced a truly unique visual record of those unforgettable nights.

It was a scene too big to be ignored by the A-listers. Amy Winehouse and Noel Fielding were regulars. Although it was never about the stars, it was the scene itself. It was the energy that came from a crowd of many of the same people, dancing night after night after night. It was about their connection to the music and the musicians and DJs who provided the soundtrack for them.

The energy of youth culture and the passion of music fans are universal phenomena. What made this scene so special was the particular moment - the venues (many of which, like here in Dublin, are now gone), the sound, the organisation. It took place at a crossroads between the time of on street flyer marketing and the advent of mass online organisation. The power of the Internet was not yet mobile. This was our scene, the last before smartphones, less self-conscious and with zero risk of exuberance being tried in the courts of social media. Like the best of all scenes, it felt like the centre of the universe.

This Was Our Scene features the after parties, venues, dance floors, stages, and backstages of the 00’s scene. Nolan captured it like no one else and from every imaginable angle, but most of all, from the inside.

This Was Our Scene, a photography exhibition of London’s 00’s Indie Scene opens on Thursday, October 19 at Fumbally Exchange with a public talk hosted by Irish photographer Gregory Nolan and with special guests to be announced. The exhibition runs each day from 10:00am – 6:00pm until Sunday, October 22. Visit thiswasourscene.com.