Jeanie Jean is documenting the smooth moves of a Northern Soul revival taking place in venues across Britain. Photographing dancers of all ages bobbing and spinning to American soul and r’n’b, Jean’s imagery captures incredible freezeframes of drops, splits and Bruce Lee kicks as dancers fly through the air wearing classic Northern Soul looks: Fred Perry polos, braces, two-tone trousers and bowling bags covered in soul night patches. However Jean’s fascination with subculture extends further than the dancefloor; she’s currently working on a project that portraits skinhead punks with their beloved nans.

Name: Jeanie Jean

Age: 33

Camera of choice: Canon 5D Mark iii or Fujifilm XT3

Preferred subject: Always people.

Favourite time of the day to shoot: Nighttime

Most recent photo you took: For Northern Soul? Probably the shot of my friend Jamie leaping in mid-air at the Omeara at Deptford Northern Soul Club/Sherry’s Soul Society. He really can fly!

How you first became interested in photography: I used to borrow my mum’s little silver digital camera a lot when I was seventeen. I was studying theatre at college and often took photos of my mates titting about backstage during shows or hanging out in the park.  By the time I got to university I had a Canon 70D, I was still studying performance, still taking photos of my mates. I began taking more serious portraits of them and doing production photography for dress rehearsal runs when I realised I preferred being the documenter than the performer. Corny right?

Biggest influence: It’s a list, Ken Loach, Kitchen Sink Cinema, Mike Leigh, David Lynch, Gavin Watson, Elaine Constantine, Derek Ridgers, and of course my mum.

Favourite photography series/book: If I had to choose one it’ll have to be Derek Ridgers’ Punk London 1977: The Roxy, The Vortex, Kings Road and Beyond. During that era it must have been such an intense, exciting time for a documentary photographer to capture this frightening, raw cathartic revolution going on. The close-ups of punks in the moshpits, musicians screaming, I immediately imagine the smell: the sweat, the flying beer, the body odor, the cigs. Just sublime.

Current project/s: I’m working on Volume 2 of my Not Dead book series about different subcultures, this one will be all about underground music gigs that arose from the pandemic and how important independent venues are to the industry. The other side project I’m working on is a portrait series of punks/skins with their nanas. I want to call it something like Me and Nanny Pat.

Follow Jeanie Jean on Instagram.