The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest street festival in Europe and originated in 1964 as a way for Afro-Caribbean communities to celebrate their own cultures and traditions. Taking place every August Bank Holiday weekend in the streets of London W11, the Notting Hill Carnival is an amazing array of sounds, colourful sights and social solidarity.

Compass Point Studios were founded in 1977 by Chris Blackwell, the owner of Island Records. In the late 1970s and mid-1980s, many musical artists from across the world came to the Bahamas to record music at its facilities. Many producers, including Chris Blackwell himself, used the studio to produce recordings. AC/DC's Back In Black, the second largest selling album ever, was just one of the many albums recorded there. Other well-known artists who recorded there include: Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Serge Gainsbourg, The Rolling Stones, Grace Jones, Shakira, Celine Dion, U2, Robert Palmer, Thompson Twins, Tom Tom Club, Talking Heads, Dire Straits, Electric Light Orchestra, Bob Marley, Eric Clapton, James Brown, Iron Maiden, Roxy Music, Bonnie Tyler, The B-52's and David Bowie.

Quadrophenia is a 1979 British film, loosely based around the 1973 rock opera of the same name by The Who. I spent two days in Brighton, on set, taking photographs for the Melody Maker.

Live Aid - 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. The event was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, England and the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, USA. These images were all taken at the Philadelphia concert.

The hit men of BritPop at work rest and play. Behind the scenes at the record company offices, gold disc presentations, the music press, backstage affairs, and breakups. This collection shines a light on the life of bands off stage, the interactions between artists, managers, press officers and the many people who slaved away to create the music business.

1981 and Britain was in the middle of a very deep recession . Unemployment rose from 1.5 million to 2.5 million in 12 months. Joblessness among ethnic minorities rose even faster, up 82% in one year. It was a spring and summer of discontent, with riots in inner city areas around the country. The TUC People's March for Jobs was an attempt to put pressure on the Tory government to do something to redress the problem. The March arrived in London on May 30th. The concert was in London's Brockwell Park with among others Pete Townsend, Aswad, Ritchie Havens, Jim Capaldi and George Melly.

Shindig Productions - Supersonic Shindig, Secret Shindig -parties and raves, multi genre dance music events. Legal and otherwise - underground squat parties and festivals. These images are from the Shindig Sundance event in London June 2013.

Another grey October morning in 1978. Joining the train for the second Stiff Records UK tour ‘Be Stiff ‘78’, featuring Wreckless Eric, Jona Lewie, Rachel Sweet, Lene Lovich and Mickey Jupp. The tour used a specially chartered train. Stiff records had hit the big time .. how much does it cost to hire a train? These pictures also include a team shot from the original 1777 Stiff tour which included Ian Dury Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe. Stiff Records was the last great independent record label and it all started in a back room West London’s Alexander Street by Dave Robinson. Some other pics have strayed into this section .. including pics from Stiff at the Races and the Stiff office. “If it ain’t stiff it ain’t worth a fuck”

Winter 1988 and Chris Salewicz, Billy Bragg, Peter Jenner and myself take a winter break in the Soviet Union. The stories that unfolded during this cold war vacation became the subject of a book called Midnights in Moscow published the following year.

Glastonbury Festival 2019 people, crowds, atmosphere

Photographs from the 1987 Island Records 25th Aniversary party. The party Jam band featured the likes of Eric Clapton, Aswad, John Martyn, Sly and Robbie, Lee Perry and Andy Sheppard.

* The Wall – Live in Berlin was a concert performance by Roger Waters and guest artists, of the Pink Floyd studio album The Wall, itself largely written by Waters during his time with the band. The show was held in Berlin on 21 July 1990, to commemorate the fall of the Berlin Wall eight months earlier

Photographing my Neighbourhood. The Jurassic Coast is a World Heritage Site on the English Channel coast of southern England. It stretches from Exmouth in East Devon to Studland Bay in Dorset, a distance of about 96 miles.185 million years of geological history, coastal erosion having exposed an almost continuous sequence of rock formation covering the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods.

This was a two day festival during May 1979 - a rarity for Scotland, which is a country that really doesn't have enough suitable weather for the hosting of extended outdoor events. The audiences were much younger on the 26th- reflected by the mix of bands on the bill. Unfortunately It rained heavily at times on the first day which put a strain on the younger , The weather on the second day was fine and the older audience attracted by the " old fart " range of bands were more fortunate.

Photographs behind the scenes - The UK music business - Parties - Awards - Scandal - Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll.

Island Records

The Secret Policeman's Other Ball was the fourth of the benefit shows staged by the British Section of Amnesty International to raise funds for its research and campaign work in the human rights field. It was the second of many shows to bear the celebrated "Secret Policeman's" title that became the iconic series known informally as The Secret Policeman's Balls.

Island Studios were established by Chris Blackwell the founder of Island Records. They were built within an old church in Basing Street in London. In May 1969 the offices for Island Records were complete and in January 1970, Studio Two was finished. Studio One was built above this.

"Straight to Hell" is a song by The Clash, from Combat Rock. Straight to Hell is also a 1987 film directed by Alex Cox, starring Sy Richardson, and a rock star cast including: Joe Strummer, Dick Rude, Courtney Love, Dennis Hopper, Grace Jones, Elvis Costello, The Pogues, Amazulu, and The Circle Jerks.