This is what 30 years of British counterculture looks like | Huck
Huck
Culture

This is what 30 years of British counterculture looks like

Exist to Resist — Matthew Smith has spent three decades documenting street culture at its rawest, from rural raves to political protests, in the face of police pressure.

Matthew Smith can pinpoint the moment he decided to become a photographer.

He was sitting in a workshop on politics and communications when a guest lecturer produced some raw footage of the Stonehenge festival in 1985.

The screen flashed with images of police smashing in bus windows, pulling people through the broken glass, abusing and threatening the festival-goers – even pregnant women and children.

At the Mother Free Festival at Bridgwater Bay, 1995.

At the Mother Free Festival at Bridgwater Bay, 1995.


You might like

You've read articles this month Thanks for reading

Join Club Huck — it's free!

Valued Huck reader, thank you for engaging with our journalism and taking an interest in our dispatches from the sharp edge of culture, sport, music and rebellion.

We want to offer you the chance to join Club Huck [it's free!] where you will receive exclusive newsletters, including personal takes on the state of pop culture and media from columnist Emma Garland, culture recommendations, interviews and dispatches straight to your inbox.

You'll also get priority access to Huck events, merch discounts, and more fun surprises.

Already part of the club? Enter your email above and we'll get you logged in.