The Clash, Paul Simonon, ‘Backstage, Manchester Apollo, No.IV’

© Adrian Boot
Manchester, U.K. 1980
Digital archival print hand signed by the photographer
Paper size 24h x 17w inches
Edition of 25
Accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity

Adrian Boot’s photographic portrait of The Clash reveals a softer side of the punk rockers as they relax and rehearse together as well as shots of them during their legendary performances. Referred to as ‘The Only Band that Matters’, The Clash were pioneers of British punk-rock; their incendiary gigs, definitive style, intelligent lyrics and passionate idealism captured the spirit of the time and their album ‘London Calling’ was labelled one of the best albums of all time by Rolling Stone magazine. The band’s manifesto was outlined in an early NME interview: ‘We’re anti-Fascist, we’re anti-violence, we’re anti-racist and we’re pro-creative.’ Pat Gilbert

Adrian Boot, one of Britain’s best-known music photographers, began his career in the early 1970’s freelancing for NME, Melody Maker, The Times, The Guardian and The Face. Adrian regularly works with the World Photography Organisation and continues to travel throughout India, Asia, Africa and Jamaica, searching for and promoting positive images of the planet and its people. Adrian was at the heart of documenting the punk scene in the U.K. and the U.S.

‘Then punk came along and crossed over with reggae and the whole ‘Jamaica scene’. Basically, they all lived on the same council estate so the music crossed over and you got a lot of white kids going to reggae ‘shebeens’ and vice versa. So, that’s how I kind of got involved in The Clash and the punk scene, as well as the reggae scene which was beginning to grow. The Clash were really easy – they were nice people and quite well educated; they were the ‘art-school crowd’ I was talking about. With the Sex Pistols – well, John Lydon was an intelligent guy and he didn’t suffer fools. The others, well, you wouldn’t even try to have a conversation with Sid Vicious, but I only photographed the Sex Pistols two or three times.’ Adrian Boot

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