Manchester’s infamous party scene then and now is the subject of a new photography exhibition by a Manchester Met fashion lecturer and celebrated photographer responsible for capturing the most famous faces in the UK music industry.
Richard Kelly’s 20 Year Party People will include previously unexhibited images he took in the early noughties while reporting for iconic publications including MixMag, Rolling Stone and NME, as well as recent images from the 2020s.
They document Manchester’s famous nightlife across both decades and offer a fascinating glimpse of inter-generational culture, including how fashions have changed – and, in some cases, come back round
Kelly, who teaches at Manchester Met’s Manchester Fashion Institute, will be launching the exhibition at Chorlton’s Electrik on Thursday 24th October alongside fellow Manchester-based photographer Jonny Black.
Having worked with renowned fashion brands such as Fred Perry and Dr Marten, Kelly has also photographed some of the most recognised faces in the music industry including the Arctic Monkeys, Florence Welch and the late Amy Winehouse.
Speaking about his latest exhibition, he said: “It’s been fantastic to be able to dig out the 20-odd year-old photos I took while on duty for magazines back in the noughties and compare them to the nightlife photos I’ve taken recently.
“What struck me is the relative lack of inhibition people had on nights out back then. This wasn’t just because of their high spirits but due to the fact there was no social media, and no opportunities to check and edit shots on a phone!
“It’s been interesting to note the trend changes over the decades too, and with the re-emergence of ‘Y2K’ fashion there should be some familiar styles on display in the images, as well as some more nostalgic looks.”
20 Year Party People is at Elecktrik at Chorlton from 7pm on Thursday 24th October.
