It was a tumultuous decade characterised by street riots, financial excess and big-haired bands making big-budget videos. As a major exhibition of shots from the 1980s prepares to open, we talk to the photographers who caught the era

This image is written in my bones somehow. There had been four quite vigorous poll tax marches before this one, and heavy clashes with police, so it seemed likely there would be trouble. But it wasn’t until I was walking up Whitehall when, for no reason, a riot policeman ran straight at me and hit me in the throat with his shield that I knew this would be rough. To my amazement I was OK and I’d kept the cameras out of the way also.