And this is the final gallery of photographs in this series which all fall under the banner of random moments in time drenched in a neon noir hue. I hope you have enjoyed looking at these glimpses into the nocturnal worlds I have witnessed. It has been a surreal experience working on this project over last few months as it revolved around nitelife activities at a time when there was none. They are now from a world before this one and hopefully it will also be the world after this one..
And even though, with vaccines on the way, it feels possible again, it’s still going to be a long time before these sort of experiences return. Before we can all be together again, bouncing to the same beat, basking in the same glow, breathing in the same air without having to be kept apart, afraid of what might happen if we don’t.
Divided and isolated is clearly not good for anyone and so we must hang on until we can congregate once more. It has been tough, tougher than even you could have imagined because being together is how we are meant to be. We are mammals. Emotionally connected warm blooded highly social beings who thrive on unity and contact. And so we must do everything we can to be that way again because this version of existence clearly doesn’t work. Not for anyone. It’s just a sadly necessary step on the way back to where we came from which is both our past and our future.
And If you still want to get a print please get in touch via email info@babycakesromero.com – and for the final time…these limited edition signed prints are £100 each, £30 of which will go to the Felix project which will feed 183 people who need it. This offer will end December 15th so please get your orders before then. And just wanted to thank everyone who have ordered prints so far. Looking forward to being on your walls soon!
This gallery is dedicated to the glories of Glasto and the insane amount of innovative large scale production that goes into creating what is essentially Disneyland for wasted adults. As you wander around the gi-normous site at night you can barely turn a corner without finding some captivating bit of eye candy which will no doubt keep you occupied for hours whilst derailing you from your intended destination. Hooking up with friends? Going to see your favourite dj? Trying to find a loo that doesn’t look like an alien exploded inside it? No Chance. All plans evaporate into the ether as you indulge your child like curiosity and your adult like intoxication. Glasto is a tripper’s paradise and a highly stimulating sensory experience like no other. Oh, and I think they have some bands there too…
It was obviously greatly missed this year by its regular attendees who swear by it as not only the ultimate festival but the ultimate antidote to regimented sensible city living. And so hopefully these shots will keep the Glasto flame alive in your minds until we can all be there again…
This gallery in the MNNN series is dedicated to those who live under the brightness of the lights, bathed in the spotlight, alone in the beam except for their conduit companion, the microphone. They stand alone yet are connected to their band and to the audience through the tech that projects their voice. The mic stand supports them both physically and metaphorically. Together they become one, a fusion of (wo)man and machine. A living breathing cyborg illuminated by artificial light projecting the pain and pleasure of being human. We gaze upon them for guidance and to speak the words we can’t.
The featured vocalists are as follows:
1 & 2. Charlotte Adigery
3. Law Holt
4 . Kayus Bankole (Young Fathers)
5. Alloysious Massaquoi (Young Fathers)
6. Horace Andy
7. Valentina (performing with Joe Goddard)
8. Alison Goldfrapp
9. Grace Jones
10. Aluna George (My toys Like Me)
And here comes the deal in case you don’t know already…each signed A3 print (420x297mm approx) in the ‘My Neon Noir Nights’ series is £100 (50% off normal price) and is in a limited edition of 10. And £30 from each sale will go to https://thefelixproject.org/ who are sourcing food that would go to waste and delivering it to those who desperately need it – and there are those who do desperately need our help. With each 30 quid The Felix project will generate a whopping 183 meals which will feed a huge amount of people that wouldn’t otherwise have been fed. Or if you don’t want a print (not trying to talk you out of it obvs) but you could just make a donation…
To order a print or for any more info please email info@babycakesromero.com
To see the full gallery from ‘My Neon Noir Nights’ series please click on link here:
Last year I was lucky enough to document the U.K tour of Massive Attack’s 21st anniversary reimagining of their classic album Mezzanine which both deconstructed the album, performing covers of tracks they sampled on the record, whilst succesfully rebooting it for the modern era. Accompanied by a powerhouse visual show, designed by Robert Del Naja and featuring work from ongoing collaborator Adam Curtis, it felt more relevant to today than even possibly the era it was born out of. And it mesmerised the crowd, transporting them both backwards and propelling them forwards, as the narrative of the show sought to highlight that the current course of the human race was maybe not the most positive trajectory.
It was truly the opposite of the usual by-the-numbers cash-in that many bands do when trotting back out on the road with a past glory. The show itself was incredibly powerful and thought provoking rather than a jolly nostalgic singalong making it a deeper and more resonant experience. The visuals were also stunning in their simplicity and felt very monochromatic which is why I could only really see it in black and white and this gallery very much embodies the concept behind this neon noir series. I think it is also a reminder of how impactful live shows can be and why we must do everything we can to preserve the live events industry for a post-covid era.
Ok, so that’s phase one of My Neon Noir Nights print series. More to come. If you can’t wait and want to see all the shots together from this week and next in one glorious gallery here link here:
And just to recap: each signed A3 print (420x297mm approx) in the ‘My Neon Noir Nights’ series is £100 (50% off normal price) and is in a limited edition of 10. £30 from each sale will go to https://thefelixproject.org/ who are sourcing food that would go to waste and delivering it to those who desperately need it – each 30 quid will generate a whopping 183 meals. Or you could just make a donation…
To order a print or for any more info please email info@babycakesromero.com
(offer ends 15th Dec)
p.s If you want to listen to a spotify playlist of Mezzanine XXI set list whilst you peruse the photographs (full gallery here if you want to see more) you can listen to it here:
The gallery featured above from this print series is dedicated to that moment when you are out at a club or at a gig or festival when you become momentarily mesmerised by the light show. That moment might last a minute or indeed significantly longer depending on your levels of induced intoxication at the time. Utterly entranced you give yourself over to the vortex, your surroundings disappear. During that time the rest of your life melts away, all thoughts vanish and you transcend into a state of bliss. And then after that, once you return to the club, and your mates, you will probably need a brief lie-down..and maybe some chips.
Each signed A3 print (420x297mm approx) in the ‘My Neon Noir Nights’ series is £100 (50% off normal price) and is in a limited edition of 10. £30 from each sale will go to https://thefelixproject.org/ who are sourcing food that would go to waste and delivering it to those who desperately need it – each 30 quid will generate a whopping 183 meals. Or you could just make a donation…
To order a print or for any more info please email info@babycakesromero.com
This gallery in the MNNN print series is dedicated to Despacio, which I have been documenting since its inception in 2013. In my opinion and each and every one of its legions of fans I have met on its dance floor over the years, it is the greatest sound system and the greatest disco dance party in the world. It is also an extraordinary sensory experience like no other.
The jaw dropping sound being projected from the decks upon which its creators James Murphy & 2manydjs deliver their joy generating vinyl selections, which is then pumped through no less than 40 Mcintosh powerhouse amps, is accompanied by an ecstasy inducing light show channeled through one of the biggest and baddass disco balls you will ever see as its centre point of gravity. It kinda makes you feel like you are being sucked up in a tractor beam into a vortex of wonder and then propelled straight into a celestial spaceship fuelled by pure happiness which is then launched into the stratosphere of bliss and beyond…I might have got a bit carried away there but that’s how it feels..well to me at any rate.
To order a print or for any more info please email info@babycakesromero.com
(offer ends 15th Dec so there is time to get it to you b4 Xmas)
It is exactly 28 days later since they imposed the London Lockdown and when you walk the desolate deserted streets of the West End it is exactly like waking up in that movie. There is not a soul around and it is extremely eerie. It has truly become a ghost town. And the further into the middle you get the quieter it becomes. There is no traffic noise, no drilling, no voices. Only the sound of silence.
There is a stark contrast to the calm stillness of the city centre with its abandoned streets and the tension within residential areas, driven by the need for human avoidance where ever you go. The irony is that the busiest part of London has now become the quietest. In all my life I have never seen the city like this. It is beautiful but also chilling at the same time.
These shots were all taken on daily allocated walks over the Easter Weekend and all people photographed whilst maintaining social distance.
Music is written, performed and produced by Charlie B. Lyrics taken from Ghost Town by the Specials .
“Babycakes Romero has the ability to blend into the background unlike anyone I have ever seen. He has built-in camouflage. A chameleon with a camera. You would think he was wearing Harry Potter’s invisibility cloak for the amount of attention he gets. His stealth mode is so finely tuned it actually made it difficult for him to be filmed as we weren’t sure where he was a lot of the time.”
“Babycakes Romero is committed to doing whatever it takes in his pursuit of documentation. He has no hesitation to put himself in the firing line to get the shot. He is willing to risk everything . He is the Don McCullin of West London. A war photographer on the streets of London, just without the war bit.”
“This is the first in a series of mini ‘docs’ where we give you a no holes barred expose of the reclusive photographer that is Babycakes Romero. We were granted exclusive access and he allowed himself to be filmed for the first time ever. We will take you behind the scenes, to show you his unconventional methods, his radical style and will ultimately reveal why this camera shy photographer is hiding in the shadows of his own exposures. We bring you the man behind the myth. The man behind the made up name.”
Me and my camera in my home town, my capital city, my london
I started the week with the carnival and am going to end with it as well as had to include this photograph. These two gentlemen are Italian tourists who I spotted waltzing drunk down Portobello Road all kitted up for carnival. Only problem was..they were a whole day early. They either got the date totally wrong or were just too hyped up to wait till the following day to wear their snazzy outfits. They tried to brazen it out and were even giving passersby drunken glances of contempt for not getting into the carnival spirit. I kind of loved them for that. They were probably going to go home and say how shit carnival was…just lots of clothes stalls and people sitting around drinking coffee…
By the way if anyone has ever replied to one of my email posts I have never received as is a donotreply address which comes straight from website (this is not abundantly clear). Anyway, would like to apologise if you feel you were ignored in any way and if you would like to get in touch please email bcr@babycakesromero.com or comment on the site itself. Chars!
