Credit: Lawrence Watson – Snoop Dogg California State Prison, Los Angeles. 1996 (l); George Clinton, Los Angeles, 1988 (r)
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Staff Writer
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9 March, 2026
As much as music is, by definition, an auditory art form, it has always been intrinsically linked with visuals. Whether through album artwork and music videos, or stage presence and band aesthetic (like, y’know, KISS), how a musician or band has looked has always been of note. And a stunning new music photography exhibition is opening in London this week, which invites visitors to dive into the blurry-bordered world of intimate portraits and cultivated imagery.
AIM, SHOOT, STOP, FIX brings together work from “four of the most influential music photographers of their generation — Peter Anderson, Chris Clunn, David Corio and Lawrence Watson”. All four started their careers shooting for New Musical Express (aka NME) in the 70s and 80s, at a time when photographers often had complete access to the musicians. The new exhibition is a rare chance to see all of their works together in one place.
Head on down, because it opens tomorrow, on March 10. Be sure you don’t wait too long to check it out, either, because it’s only around for one month!
Credit: Chris Clunn – A Tribe Called Quest -London – 10-12-89
AIM, SHOOT, STOP, FIX and music photography in the 70s and 80s
To understand just what made the music photography of this time period so significant and impactful, you have to understand how different the attitude was. At the time, music journalism and publications like NME played an integral role in shaping culture. As such, due to their importance and sway, “photographers were granted remarkable creative freedom and unprecedented access to emerging artists”.
At the time, there was far less corporate control and fewer concerns about public image. There was a trust that united the artists and the photographers, who were often “embedded in the scene — backstage, on the road, in studios, at home.” It was the type of access that led to a level of intimacy and accessibility that resulted in wholly unique images.
Credit: David Corio – The Fugees at Sony Records NYC 28 January 1994 (l-r) Wyclef Jean, Lauryn Hill, Pras Michel.
Added to that was the unique crossroads that music reached as the 80s marched on into the 90s. The time saw riotous creativity and expression as “post-punk fractured into new wave, hip-hop crossed into the mainstream, Britpop exploded, and club culture reshaped Britain. These are not simply portraits — they are documents of musical history in the making.”
Musicians in the music photography exhibition
Together, the four photographers featured in the show have snapped hundreds of artists – including household names that even the most ardent living-under-a-rock music-ignorer has heard of. In a sense, these photographers have defined the way many of us now see modern music and musicians.
Among the musicians they’ve shot are:
Snoop Dogg
Madonna
Robbie Williams
David Bowie
Run DMC
Nick Cave
Marvin Gaye
Joy Division
Iggy Pop
Oasis
Sade
Bob Marley
Blur
Jamiroquai
and many, many more.
Credit: Lawrence Watson – Pulp with mannequins, Joy Studios, Highbury London 1994
AIM, SHOOT, STOP, FIX is on display from March 10 – April 9, 2026.
📍 Worldly Wicked & Wise Gallery, 81 Salusbury Road, NW6 6NH. The nearest station is Queen’s Park.