Rarely-seen photos of Amy Winehouse are to go on display in Manchester to mark the late singer’s 40th birthday this month.
The exclusive images of the legendary vocalist – who was considered to be one of the voices of her generation, but sadly passed away back in 2011 at the age of 27 – will form part of an exhibition showcasing work by critically-acclaimed music photographer Richard Kelly that’s currently happening down at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel in the city centre.
The exhibition, titled Richard Kelly: A Time and Place, features never-before-seen images of some of music’s most-talked-about talents – including local legend John Cooper Clarke, Arctic Monkeys, and Florence + The Machine.
Up-and-coming Manchester music talent like Anthony Szmierek and Akemi Fox also feature as part of the popular exhibition.
And now, following its unprecedented popularity, with dozens of eyes having been able to clock eyes on the photos over the last couple of weeks, the hotel has announced that the exhibition‘s stay in our city has been extended.
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It will now close at the end of October.
As well as the extension, two new rarely-seen framed photos of Amy Winehouse taken by Kelly are also being added to the one already on display in the exhibition as a special homage to what would have been the star’s 40th birthday – which is on 14 September.
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Rare Amy Winehouse photos to go on display in Manchester to mark the late singer’s 40th birthday / Credit: Richard Kelly
“When taking people’s pictures, I always try to distance myself from the celebrity and just see and capture the person,” Richard Kelly said of the two new additions to the exhibition.
“The images of Amy Winehouse I’ve added are from the time she supported the Arctic Monkeys at Old Trafford a few years back. I managed to catch her just before she went on stage, as it seemed to be a brief respite from the whirlwind that seemed around her at the time, [and] she then went on to lead the crowd in a singalong of ‘Valerie’ – it was magical.
“She was one of a kind, and is definitely missed.”
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As the long-standing official photographer of the Arctic Monkeys, and as a celebrated music photographer in general, Kelly has been highlighting the best in British musical talent for over 25 years now, and has captured some of the most-famous names in the industry.
He also prides himself on scouting local Mancunian talent, which makes this exhibition – and its now extension – all the more important.
The images are part of the Richard Kelly: A Time and Place exhibition at the Kimpton Clocktower Hotel / Credit: Kimpton Clocktower Hotel
David Steel, who is the General Manager of Kimpton Clocktower, said the hotel is “proud” to be extending the exhibition to give people the chance to see never-before exhibited shots.
“We know Amy Winehouse made such an impact on so many people’s lives with her extraordinary talent,” he added, “So we’re hoping to help people feel connected with her art and memory, at a time that would have been a celebration for her.”
The two new Amy Winehouse photos as part of the free-to-view Richard Kelly: A Time and Place exhibition will be on the walls at The Refuge from 14 September.
The exhibition has been extended to end in October 2023.
Featured Image – Richard Kelly
Art & Culture
Yard Act announce handful of new headline shows ahead of 6Music gig in Manchester
Clementine Hall
Yard Act are back as they announce first round of UK headline dates since 2024, including a show right here in Manchester – but not before their BBC 6Music Festival gig later this week.
We are so, SO back.
It’s been a few years, but Yard Act have just announced a limited run of domestic shows for later in the year including their homecoming gig at the O2 Academy in Leeds on Friday, 6 November.
But after playing over in Yorkshire, the lads will be performing shows at the O2 Victoria Warehouse on the following Friday (13 Nov).
Yard Act completed the touring for their critically acclaimed second album, Where’s My Utopia?, with a victory lap back home at the 5000 capacity Millennium Square in Leeds in August ’24.
It was a record that brought a stark change of pace to the acerbic, post-punk of their debut, embracing something altogether more playful and bringing a different energy.
It shifted the dynamic on stage too, with the addition of dancing backing singers and additional musicians and openly challenged listeners to reconsider who they thought Yard Act were.
Since then, the band have been keeping busy writing and recording their third studio LP, as well as heading out across the UK and Europe with The Hives – oh, and that intimate one-off show at Blackpool Tower last May.
Following a lengthy stint in the studio, the band now look to this coming autumn for three big UK dates and we cannot wait. We spoke to them a little while back and know how much big stuff they’ve got further pipeline; you can see the interview HERE.
Booking just three headline slots, the handful of tour dates are as follows:
06 Nov – Leeds
13 Nov – Manchester
26 Nov – London
Tickets go on artist presale from 10am on Wednesday, 25 March before hitting general sale at 10am on Friday, 27 March. Sign up to grab yours right HERE.
As for those wanting to find out more about this year’s 6Music Fest, you find the full lineup and more down below.
Enter Shikari announce SUPER intimate show in Manchester
Danny Jones
Much-loved British alternative band Enter Shikari have just announced a very, VERY intimate gig in Manchester city centre, and it’s happening rather soon.
It doesn’t matter how die-hard or casual a fan you are, you are simply not ready for this one…
Almost a full 20 years from what they still covet as a watershed breakout gig here in Greater Manchester, Enter Shikari are set to play none other than grassroots rock bar and nightclub, Satan’s Hollow, right in the heart of the city centre.
Pretty much the life and soul of the heavier music scene here in 0161 for decades now, it remains not only a treasured small-cap venue but arguably still among thego-to post-gig spots after any hard gig; you could say Enter Shikari are simply cutting out the middle man.
It’s fair to say that a group of their size very rarely get to play rooms as tiny as this one these days, so it’s sure to be quite a rowdy one for the electronically influenced post-hardcore outfit.
Formed way back in 1999 (if you can believe that), they’re more used to selling out arena tours all over the world, including their upcoming Co-op Live gig this winter.
It’s also worth mentioning that this will be their single biggest domestic headline show to date.
But not before they go back to where it all started for them in this city, booking a certain-to-sell-out Shikari show at Satan’s Hollow – a Manchester venue they first played in 2006.
In fact, they’ve actually shared footage from that fateful night, and yes, the quality is as bad as you’d expect, but it gives you an idea of what the atmosphere was like then, let alone now their fan base has grown so much over the years.
Here’s us, almost 20 years ago, playing ‘OK Time For Plan B’ at our first ever Manchester show in @satanshollow on April 10th 2006.
Funny to think that in November, Manchester will host our biggest ever UK headline show at the @TheCoopLive. Both shows with the same promoter. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/uHKVOwZbM2
Speaking on this milestone moment, the band wrote in a statement: “Manchester’s a city that means a lot to us. The Satan’s Hollow show back in April ’06 was the first sense we got that ‘something’ was ‘happening’. A queue around the block and total chaos inside.
We’ve had a lot of memorable shows in Manchester since then (and in November we’ll play our biggest ever UK headline show there!), but for some reason that night at Satan’s Hollow kept coming up in conversation, so the anniversary show was just too tempting.”
Tickets for this unmissable show will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for those who register HERE up until 9:30am tomorrow, Wednesday, 25 March.
The gig itself is happening on 9 April, with support from Liverpool’s very own East Exchange as support. Best of luck to all those trying to cop tickets, and hopefully we’ll see you at Satan’s.
Emily Sergeant -
8th September 2023 
