The British intimacy of ‘the afters’

Couple sitting on ground in book-filled environment

Not Going Home — In 1998, photographer Mischa Haller travelled to nightclubs just as their doors were shutting and dancers streamed out onto the streets, capturing the country’s partying youth in the early morning haze.

Everyone knows the three phases of a good night out: First, there are the pres – the cheap booze downed to tinny music from a phone speaker. Then, the main event. And finally – for the real ones – come the afters. The lights flicker on, the club doors swing open, and the strangers you’ve just shared hours in a sweaty moshpit with file out like moths to the light of the nearest kebab shop.

There’s a camaraderie in these hours, a shared unraveling. Makeup smudged, tights freshly laddered, voices hoarse from singing too loud. Maybe the sky is starting to pale and the first signs of the next day are starting to stir – but for those still riding the last waves of the last night, time becomes no object. As 54-year-old photographer Mischa Haller puts it, it feels like “it will go on forever”.

These are the moments the Swiss-born photographer tries to capture in his new photobook, Not Going Home. Over the course of three months in 1998, Haller travelled across UK cities – from Brighton to Edinburgh – capturing British youth in this post-club haze. “I went to bed early so that I was fresh, and started shooting at 4:30 in the morning,” he explains. Bleary-eyed from bed, Haller would pick out “good groups” as they emerged from clubs and ask to follow them around, recording the hours spent on beaches, cafes and slumped against road curbs as the sun began to rise.

Six young people, three women and three men, sitting together in a brightly lit public space. They are engaged in casual conversation, some reading newspapers. The setting appears to be a train station or similar transport hub, with a large clock visible in the background.
Couple standing on seaside promenade, woman holding a drink bottle, man holding a flower.

The then 27-year-old had been photographing club-goers for years prior, formerly working as a club photographer in Paris before moving to London in the mid-’90s. It was during his time shooting for women’s magazine Minx (what he calls a female version of Loaded) in the capital, when he noticed just how revered “afters” culture is to the British; this was a phenomenon, he observed, that was built into the city’s day-to-day functioning. “What is amazing is all the infrastructure here, and not just in London, but also in the other cities,” Haller says. “You can get out of a club at 5 am, and there will be some greasy spoon open that actually serves you breakfast!” Post-club feasting features heavily in Haller’s photos – in some, twenty-somethings are surrounded by polystyrene boxes or plates of chips – in others they’re lingering under McDonald’s doorframes or grinning in anticipation through kebab shop windows.

The British reverence for afters goes deeper, though: There’s a feeling of transgression to staying up into the early hours – a past-your-bedtime defiance that offsets the rigid social customs often ascribed to British culture. “I think there's the desire for the night not to end because you’re having such a great time for five, six hours and you want to go on forever,” says Haller. “But also, when you let go in Britain then you really let go, because it’s a very reserved culture during the day or the week, but then on the weekend the gloves are off and anything is possible.”

It’s a feeling that clearly resonates with people today: Since the photobook was published by the British Culture Archive earlier this year, it has sold out its first and now second editions. “I thought it would take us a year to sell a thousand books. It took us three days. It’s crazy,” says Haller. “I think they struck a nerve because people are almost looking for something real and analogue, because we're going down into this AI digital tech world and as a counter-product of that we’re looking more and more for something that we can actually feel and touch and be part of and that makes us feel human again.”

“We’re now being inundated by fake photos and fake video and we want to have a real experience, and this book is about the realest of experiences you can get: staying up all night on drugs or on alcohol and having a blast and never wanting it to end.” Mischa Haller

The photos are all taken on slide film, a method – Haller explains excitedly – that produces positive (rather than negative) images that can be directly projected using a slide projector. The results capture the grungy authenticity of a time before the digital age – away from the glossy sheen of the main event you’d now see plastered over Instagram stories, and glimpses into moments where people were thinking of nothing but the time they were in. “We’re now being inundated by fake photos and fake video and we want to have a real experience, and this book is about the realest of experiences you can get: staying up all night on drugs or on alcohol and having a blast and never wanting it to end,” Haller says.

There’s no question the world looks entirely different now, but Haller reckons the pull of the early hours is universal. “It’s the two-worlds-collide moment, where the street sweepers who are up and working collide with the ravers, the clubbers,” he says. “I just love that time of the day, I always think the light is so amazing and just the quietness. You feel like it's full of possibilities”.

Crowded interior of a commuter train, passengers standing and sitting.
Crowded night scene with people walking on street, neon signs, and shop windows.
Four young women eating lunch at a table, with trays of food and drinks in front of them.
Two women standing against a dark wall, one in a pink top and the other in a burgundy dress, with their arms folded and legs crossed.
A person wearing a white T-shirt with a graphic design on their arm, standing in front of people in dark clothing.
Busy fast food restaurant interior with people queueing and ordering at the counter.
Four women dressed in 1990s-style clothing, posing on a nighttime city street beside a Gap storefront.
Four diverse women, smiling and embracing, wearing formal attire.
McDonald's restaurant on a city street with people standing outside.
Three people sitting at a table in a diner, enjoying a meal and drinks. A woman in a blue shirt, a man in a black top, and another man in a black top, all smiling and engaged in conversation.

Not Going Home by Mischa Haller is published by the British Culture Archive.

Ella Glossop is Huck’s social lead. Follow her on Bluesky.

Buy your copy of Huck 81 here.

Enjoyed this article? Follow Huck on Instagram and sign up to our newsletter for more from the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture.

Support stories like this by becoming a member of Club Huck.

Latest on Huck

A punk rock band performing on stage, with a female lead singer belting into a microphone. Behind them, a colourful mural with graffiti-style text.
Music

Meet the hair-raised radical women of Berlin’s noise punk scene

Powertool — In his new zine, George Nebieridze captures moments of loud rage and quiet intimacy within the German capital’s female-only bands, while exploring the intersections between music, community and anti-establishment politics.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Group of people dancing at a live music performance, with a large "Spaces Beats" sign in the background.
Music

Amid tensions in Eastern Europe, young Latvians are reviving their country’s folk rhythms

Spaces Between the Beats — The Baltic nation’s ancient melodies have long been a symbol of resistance, but as Russia’s war with Ukraine rages on, new generations of singers and dancers are taking them to the mainstream.

Written by: Jack Styler

A person's face surrounded by colourful flowers. The flowers include orange, red, and yellow dahlias, as well as smaller yellow blooms. The person's expression is serious.
Music

Uwade: “I was determined to transcend popular opinion”

What Made Me — In this series, we ask artists and rebels about the about the forces and experiences that shaped who they are. Today, it’s Nigerian-born, South Carolina-raised indie-soul singer Uwade.

Written by: Uwade

Taxidermy alligator with a small monkey sitting on its head, displayed on a wooden shelf with other items.
Culture

Inside the obscured, closeted habitats of Britain’s exotic pets

“I have a few animals...” — For his new series, photographer Jonty Clark went behind closed doors to meet rare animal owners, finding ethical grey areas and close bonds.

Written by: Hannah Bentley

Muscular man with arms crossed in a dark setting, 'Hard Feelings' text overlay.
Sport

Frazer Clarke: “I had a hole in my leg, I’m very lucky to be alive”

Hard Feelings — For our interview column on masculinity and fatherhood, the Olympic boxing medallist speaks to Robert Kazandjian about hard graft, the fear and triumph of his first fight, and returning to the ring after being stabbed on a night out.

Written by: Robert Kazandjian

Close-up view of a woman in a vintage pose, with flowing hair and an outstretched hand, set against a hazy, scenic background.
© Peter Palladino, courtesy of the Peter Palladino Archive.
Culture

Remembering Holly Woodlawn, Andy Warhol muse and trans trailblazer

Love You Madly — A new book explores the actress’s rollercoaster life and story, who helped inspire Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild Side’.

Written by: Miss Rosen

Signup to our newsletter

Sign up to our newsletter to informed with the cutting edge of sport, music and counterculture, featuring personal takes on the state of media and pop culture from Emma Garland, former Digital Editor of Huck, exclusive interviews, recommendations and more.

Please wait...

Accessibility Settings

Text

Applies the Open Dyslexic font, designed to improve readability for individuals with dyslexia.

Applies a more readable font throughout the website, improving readability.

Underlines links throughout the website, making them easier to distinguish.

Adjusts the font size for improved readability.

Visuals

Reduces animations and disables autoplaying videos across the website, reducing distractions and improving focus.

Reduces the colour saturation throughout the website to create a more soothing visual experience.

Increases the contrast of elements on the website, making text and interface elements easier to distinguish.