Proud Camden presents Manchester: So Much To Answer For, a retrospective of The Smiths from renowned photographer Kevin CumminsKevin Cummins. Thirty years since the band originally formed, this exhibition presents a portrait of The Smiths, the northern city that influenced so much of their music and the ensuing Madchester scene that followed their split in ’87. When Steven Patrick Morrissey and Johnny Marr formed The Smiths in 1982, it was immediately clear that they were the sound of something different. At the time, Manchester was grubby, gritty and swarming with lyrical potential and the band’s look, sound and lyrics were uniquely twinned with their northern origins. The city bore a rich crop of musical talent throughout the 80s — Joy Division, The Smiths, The Stone Roses, New Order, The Happy Mondays — and Kevin Cummins, an original Mancunian, was perfectly placed to capture it. Working with Joy Division from 1977 and chronicling the Manchester music scene from 1976, Kevin Cummins found his ideal subject in The Smiths. He took the bands publicity stills, shot countless features for NME, tracked their gigs and travelled the world with Morrissey, Marr, Rourke and Joyce. After the band’s split in ’87, Cummins continued to scout out Mancunian talent; subsequently producing some of the 80s’ most iconic music photography. Stuart Maconie, a fellow NME journalist, has said of Cummins; “[Kevin] was the scribe, the gossip, the mimic and caricaturist … at the beginning of all of this, he helped spread the word, fan the flames, whip up the hysteria, build the hype”. The exhibition presents the Manchester of The Smiths and of the 80s, seen through the eyes of photographer Kevin Cummins: alongside photographs of the band, this exhibition boasts a collection of stark, melancholy cityscapes which capture the cultural, social and political climate that gave birth to Indie music.
Kevin Cummins was born within crying distance of Maine Road in Withington Hospital on 14 July 1953. His first game at Maine Road was a 3-1 victory over Leicester on 19 August 1961. Since then he has followed City over land and sea (and Stretford) for over 45 years. The rest of his time is spent earning a living as one of the world’s most venerated music and portrait photographers. After studying photography for four years in Salford, Kevin embarked on a career that was to encompass a wide range of photographic work. The burgeoning punk scene in Manchester dominated his early work and he quickly became one of the premier documentary photographers of the era. He worked with Manchester’s prestigious Royal Exchange Theatre; The Royal Opera House; The Royal Northern Ballet; The Liverpool Playhouse; and The Oxford Playhouse. Kevin was also instrumental in establishing City Life, Manchester’s ‘what’s on’ guide and was a founding contributor to The Face, an influential style magazine. Since moving to London in 1987, Kevin has contributed to many major UK publications, including: The Times, The Observer, The Guardian, Esquire, Maxim, Elle, Vogue, Mojo, FourFourTwo, Sleaze Nation and The Big Issue. He spent 10 years as the chief photographer for NME – the world’s biggest selling rock weekly – where his award-winning pictures were a major contributing factor in the rise of the Madchester and Cool Britannia scenes. His work can be seen gracing many record sleeves and book jackets and he regularly contributes to publications worldwide. He also shoots regularly for The National Theatre in London.
Kevin Cummins – Manchester: So Much To Answer For
On view through 15th July 2012
Proud Camden
The Horse Hospital Stables Market
Chalk Farm Road
London NW1 8AH
