I first came across U.K. photographer Oli Raptor when writing a story about the struggles of being censored by social media. For his sexy shoots, often with guys he meets on Instagram, Twitter and OnlyFans, he usually invites his collaborators out into nature, exploring the wilds of the marshes and parks of the Greater London area.
He’s had a few close calls, where the models have had to quickly pull on their pants and run into a bush before other park users have stumbled upon a shoot. But he says he’s never been discovered by anyone who didn’t want to discover some racy moments. “There was one time I was photographing someone in a cruisy bathroom and there were probably 10 guys there cruising,” says Raptor, “and the model was, like, ‘Yeah, I’m cool with this.’ So he got naked in this public toilet with these guys around him. You don’t expect it to go in that direction but sometimes it does.”
Raptor was born in London and is now based in Stratford, though he’s lived in Washington, D.C., and spends time visiting his family in Washington State. Following his many adventures as a photographer and scenester, I discovered that he’s also an explorer of some of London’s cool underground parties. Forget about the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace, Oli Raptor’s tour of London has a bit more edge—and a lot more hot guys.
I asked Raptor about his favourite things to do and places to go in London. Here’s the low-down.
About the last shoot he did
It was in the Hackney Marshes [a larger conservation area in east London along the River Lee; one access point is off Homerton Road; the Hackney Wick, Stratford or Leyton tube stops will get you close]. It was an older gentleman who wanted to try it out. He got naked, enjoyed himself. It’s easy to get naked in the marshes. The marshes are a great place to shoot, to take people on adventures, but it’s also a nice place to relax and just hang out. It’s a break from the city. Before that I was in Surrey in the south of London with a younger guy. We went to this massive quarry, which was a great backdrop, and did a shoot there.
About his favourite places in East London
Hackney is a great spot because it’s a creative area with lots of creative people living there. It’s also very queer. When you go out you’ll mostly be surrounded by people you’re comfortable with. There’s a lot going on. There’s a cool place called Two More Years (7 Roach Rd., Fish Island, London), which is right next to the canal. They have a queer night every Friday, but even on a regular day, you’ll find the staff is queer and everyone’s pretty friendly. They have art spaces and it’s my favourite place to meet people. Because of the art it looks different every time I go, but it’s a massive open space with big windows and plants growing on ceilings. It’s very pretty and there’s a seating area right on the water. The music depends on the night. People do karaoke, then it’ll be people dancing to indie music, then techno. London is very much a crazy mosh pit of different music and people. You go one night and it’s one thing, then it’s completely different on the next night.
Then you’ve got Dolston, also in East London. Superstore (117 Kingsland High St., London) has been around for a long time now. During the day they do food, and they have drag brunches, and there’s art exhibitions in the main area. But they have many different nights. On a Saturday you might have Homostache, which is a meaty night depending on the DJs. It’s not as big as Two More Years—you’ve got a main floor, which is more poppy, and a basement with mirrors on the walls and a fog machine, lasers.
In Cambridge Heath, there’s The Queen Adelaide (483 Hackney Rd., Cambridge Heath, London). It’s not always queer but it’s quirky and you can have a good time. There used to be a bar in Shoreditch called George and the Dragon, and when that closed the team moved to Queen Adelaide. For decor it’s got taxidermy animals, Barbies and silly things on the walls. Booths made of wood. The downstairs is mirrors—always more mirrors because I guess it makes the place look bigger. Then also have the White Cubicle Toilet Gallery, which has alternative art.
If I’m going out to a club night, the one I go to most is Adonis (venue can vary but mostly recently at The Cause, 60 Dock Rd., London). It’s queer, grungy, outdoors. Multiple dance floors with dark rooms. Great for non-binary folks, great for everyone, really, including women. A lot of people put effort into their outfits and come in all sorts of gear.
Howl (venue can vary but recently at Colour Factory 8 Queen’s Yard, Hackney Wick, London) is very queer, and people dress up, but compared to Adonis, there are more dancers—it’s more of a show. Artists will go. It’s a great showcase for DJs, once a month or once every other month. It’s not as hardcore as Adonis but you’ll still have a good time. There’s a dark room, I believe. It has a huge non-binary and trans following.
I’ll also go to Roast (Electrowerkz, 7 Torrens St., London), which is more for bears, cubs and leather daddies. More on the masc side, but they are inclusive when it comes to trans men and non-binary people. It’s a work in progress, coming out of the days of XXL. Electrowerkz is one of my favourite venues. It’s massive and Roast normally sells out, so that would be five dancefloors and a dark room and a lounge and a smoking area, all over four floors.
Broadway Market (London Fields, London, north of Regent’s Canal) is a cute shopping street [which has stalls on the weekend], full of restaurants and places to stay. I’ll go there for lunch or go to Donlon Books (75 Broadway Market, London), which has a lot of photography, art and a big selection of queer stuff. I’ll go there to buy Butt magazine. I like to go to Rio Cinema (107 Kingsland High St., London) in Dolston, which shows lots of queer films.
About his favourite places in Central London
Even before I moved to London, I went to Retro Bar (2 George Court, London), a very cute queer place, which is right around the corner from Charing Cross station, not far from Heaven (9, The Arches, Villiers St., London), which is popular with the young ones. Retro Bar is very quirky, small, with two floors and the walls are covered with black and white photos of musicians, surrounded by fairy lights. There’s a piano but I’ve never seen anyone play it. Is it a dive bar? Yes, it’s close to what you’d call a dive bar.
You could flirt in places like Retro, but London doesn’t really have cruisy spots like they have in Europe, which is a shame. There is a cruisy spot, though, called Vault 139 (139–143 Whitfield St., London). You pay a fee and you get a free drink, which is always nice. You can have a drink at the bar and you can walk around and meet people in what they call vaults, in the cubbies in the arches. It kinda looks like a wine cellar. They have different theme nights, so sometimes it’s clothes, sometimes underwear or naked.
About his favourite spots in other parts of London
I love KOKO (1a Camden High St., London) in Camden as a venue for live music. It’s an old theatre with a disco ball in the middle of it, gold panelling and theatre masks above the stage. Then there’s Queer Circle (Building 4, Design District, 3 Barton Yard, Soames Walk, London) in Greenwich, which is known for curating and creating cool exhibitions and events.
I always love going to parks so there’s Epping Forest (Loughton tube stop, then a walk, bike or drive) and Hampstead (Hampstead Heath tube stop), which has got some ponds for swimming and areas for cruising. [The late George Michael was picked up for allegedly cruising here in 2006.]
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
