Some of London’s Newest Counter-Cultures

Militant Cyclism

It’s always been cooler to be on two wheels in London, and anyone who lives here knows what a nightmare the traffic can be. Perhaps that’s why a culture of what we at Buzzfeed call ‘militant cyclism’ has risen so rapidly the past few years. Maybe it’s all down to Sir Bradley Wiggins, but more and more people are immersing themselves within the peloton that is cycle culture. Cool new Cycle hangouts like the Rapha Cycle Club in Soho and the CycleLab & Juicebar in Shoreditch have become a hub of likeminded cycle enthusiasts where they can not only enjoy a nice drink, but also purchase some top of the range gear.

Fashion Blogophiles

We all know at least one: that girl (or guy) that has their Instagram, Tumblr and Twitter feed all linked up and constantly updated. They blog about all the fantastic restaurants they go to, the Birkin bag they just got for the Spring Summer ‘14 season and the 2 week holiday they spent on a yacht in Cannes. They go to all the coolest places, get to do all the coolest things, and are always on the guestlist. The only thing more annoying about this group of people is that we’re not one of them. They are truly the definition of the digital age; this select group of people exist purely though social media and have amassed huge followings that live somewhat vicariously through their experiences.

Electronic Dance Music Evangelists

The rave didn’t end for these people. They literally work to pay for the 6 festivals they’ve got tickets for during summer. From nine to five, he’s just boring old Dave from the office, the guy that sends round those funny—albeit pointless—emails of things like “what your coffee says about you”. Which is why it’s strange when you bump into him in the Ministry of Sound, off his head on MDMA with glow sticks hanging off of him like Christmas tree decorations.

Grad scheme Pseudo-Yuppies

So you’ve graduated, and unlike the thousands of other students scrambling over each other to get into some sort of gainful employment, you’ve hit the jackpot and got yourself on a grad-scheme. You’ve bought two new suits and moved to London; now you’re officially the Wolf of Wall Street, without the pay packet. These guys (and girls) are well on their way to making loads of money, but when you ask them what they do, they’d struggle to give you an answer that lasts less than 5 minutes. You can catch them around Liverpool Street on a Thursday drinking London craft beer and snorting really, really cheap cocaine.