There Is A Light That Never Goes Out: photography exhibition celebrates city’s music pedigree

Manchester’s Central Library is currently home to a photography exhibition celebrating the city’s rich music heritage.

There is a Light That Never Goes Out (the title take from a Smiths song) includes photos taken by rock photographer Jill Furmanovsky and subjects include the Stone Roses, Oasis, The Smiths and Joy Division.

The free exhibition is a collaboration between the library and the photo collective website Rockarchive and was co-curated by Furmanovsky and music writer Jon Savage. 

A spokesperson for Rockarchive told The Northern Quota: “We are proud to be hosting an exhibition at Manchester Central Library that celebrates Manchester’s rock music history.”

Manchester is a city inextricably linked to its musical heritage 

Rockarchive.com was started by Furmanovsky in 1998 as a place to “make her work, and that of other rock photographers and visual artists, more accessible to fans and collectors”.

She has photographed a plethora of iconic rock musicians over the years including The Clash, Blondie and Pink Floyd. 

Rockarchive added: “Manchester has produced some of the UK’s greatest and most influential artists. Its bands’ and musicians’ music is so deeply rooted in Manchester, one cannot imagine rock music or the city itself being the same without their contribution.” 

The exhibition spans across several walls and includes photos of The Smiths, Buzzcocks, Oasis and The Stone Roses. The final wall showcases photos of the city’s current bands and musicians such as Elbow and The Courteeners. 

The majority of photos are black and white, with colour photos appearing towards the end. As well as musicians, there are also photos of famous Manchester venues such as the Hacienda and events such as last year’s One Love Manchester concert. 

Darren Rawcliffe, who is responsible for exhibitions at the library, said the exhibition was a follow-up to last year’s hugely successful Oasis DNA show, also co-curated by Rockarchive.

He said the new exhibition had attracted more than 3000 visitors in its first week. 

Katherine McDermott, who was born in Australia but grew up in Manchester, praised the exhibition, saying: “Manchester has been a place of revolution, ideals, attitude, standing out from the crowd, all the things that make it a great place for music. Even the rain in Manchester has swagger and attitude.” 

The exhibition runs until 22 February.