Stephen Wright

Over the years Stephen Wright has had the opportunity to work on a long list of artists including Prince, Miles Davis, Nina Simone, U2, John Lydon, Public Image Ltd, James Brown, Madonna, Stevie Wonder plus many more, but it is arguably his photographs of The Smiths which have the biggest legacy.

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“rain, sex and rock and roll”

Stephen Wright started out as a photographer it was the
early 1980s when everything was happening in Manchester; the city he described
as one of “rain, sex and rock and roll”.

Hacienda nightclub & Manchester Apollo

During his time in the city, Wright frequented the fabled Hacienda nightclub and Manchester Apollo before eventually moving back South to start working on shows in London, all the while catching and photographing the musicians live that he enjoyed the most.

Salford Lads Club

The first time he shot The Smiths was at Free Trade Hall with just one film and a couple of lenses. He caught an image of Morrissey’s rear with flowers hanging from his jeans – described since by NME as a famous rock shot by the NME. This led to a call 12 months on, to photograph the The Smiths for an album sleeve and Wright’s most iconic shot of the band outside Salford Lads Club, which was used for the insider sleeve of their album 'The Queen is Dead'. It hangs now in the National Portrait Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery & the Salford Art Gallery