The photographer shooting the frenzy of raves and protests
- Text by Huck
- Photography by Aiyush Pachnanda

As a photographer, Aiyush Pachnanda has always found himself drawn to visceral, kinetic events: mass meet-ups where anything can happen.
It should come as little surprise, then, that he ended up documenting raves and protests. It began during 2016, when he started shooting anti-Brexit demonstrations, before falling for the magic of rave culture shortly after.
He believes both settings share a certain quality. “There’s a lot of similar emotions that I noticed that transcend above and subsequently join the two,” he explains. “Both groups almost fall into a trance-like mood when together, having a shared mob mentality that motivates people – for better or worse.”
“Both groups follow a leader too,” he continues. “Be it a speaker system at a rave, or a speaker at a protest. Even the way people move, it’s almost like a shoal of fish. Getting from one end to the other is always a struggle.”
These images come together in B2B, a book that chronicles Pachnanda’s work documenting protests during the Covid-19 lockdown, and the reopening of clubs after it was lifted.
For Pachnanda, who initially wanted to be a writer before picking up the camera, shooting these kinds of events brings a certain kind of danger. He was always interested in these kinds of scenes, he says, but as a kid was never allowed to express it.
Now that he’s able to, there’s no looking back. In this respect, despite the frenzy of the moments captured, B2B illustrates a photographer at his most comfortable.
“I am attracted to the feeling of danger and adrenalin that comes with being in a big crowd, and the feeling of being on edge a little,” he says. “It makes me feel alive.”
B2B is available to order now. A launch event will take place in London on 14 December 2021.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Latest on Huck

Meet the trans-led hairdressers providing London with gender-affirming trims
Open Out — Since being founded in 2011, the Hoxton salon has become a crucial space the city’s LGBTQ+ community. Hannah Bentley caught up with co-founder Greygory Vass to hear about its growth, breaking down barbering binaries, and the recent Supreme Court ruling.
Written by: Hannah Bentley

Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification
Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.
Written by: Isaac Muk

New documentary revisits the radical history of UK free rave culture
Free Party: A Folk History — Directed by Aaron Trinder, it features first-hand stories from key crews including DiY, Spiral Tribe, Bedlam and Circus Warp, with public streaming available from May 30.
Written by: Isaac Muk

Rahim Fortune’s dreamlike vision of the Black American South
Reflections — In the Texas native’s debut solo show, he weaves familial history and documentary photography to challenge the region’s visual tropes.
Written by: Miss Rosen

Why Katy Perry’s space flight was one giant flop for mankind
Galactic girlbossing — In a widely-panned, 11-minute trip to the edge of the earth’s atmosphere, the ‘Women’s World’ singer joined an all-female space crew in an expensive vanity advert for Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin. Newsletter columnist Emma Garland explains its apocalypse indicating signs.
Written by: Emma Garland

Katie Goh: “I want people to engage with the politics of oranges”
Foreign Fruit — In her new book, the Edinburgh-based writer traces her personal history through the citrus fruit’s global spread, from a village in China to Californian groves. Angela Hui caught up with her to find out more.
Written by: Katie Goh