The Smiths and Friends

by Stephen Wright

My old friend and photographer, Stephen Wright, has kindly given us permission to stock his work here in the U.S. at Modern Rocks Gallery. Stephen is responsible for one of the most famous photographs of the legendary band The Smiths. The image in question appeared on the inner cover of the classic The Queen is Dead LP, released on Rough Trade Records in 1986. We're incredibly proud to be able to bring you a collection of photographs direct from Stephen himself in the form of signed and numbered limited edition prints that are not available anywhere elsewhere in the US. Not only do we have that classic Salford Lads Club shot, we also have other shots from that photo shoot as well as live shots of Morrissey and The Smiths at their absolute best. 

The Queen is Dead shoot itself was in December in Salford on a damp dark day, 'It should have been canceled really as it was so poor for photography. We spent a bit of time at a couple of locations but the Salford Lads club was the key one. You can even see Johnny shivering in some of the images. Somehow the casual poses and the grim weather give the photos a certain natural and gritty character and I love the way Morrissey stands there - arms folded and smirking slightly like the Mona Lisa.'

These days that image has been accepted as part of the collections of the National Portrait Gallery, the Manchester Art Gallery, and the Salford Art Gallery. All rather funny when the original film was processed in a bedroom/darkroom, with the chemicals kept in old drinks bottles! Not only do we have Stephen's amazing iconic shots of The Smiths available to purchase here at Modern Rocks Gallery, we also have a portfolio of some of Stephen's live shots of other artists including Madonna, New Order, James Brown, John Lydon and Miles Davis to name but a few.

STOP PRESS - NEW 30th ANNIVERSARY SALFORD LADS CLUB PRINT RELEASED