Fashion lecturer’s early noughties and present-day photo portraits reveal secrets of Manchester’s nightlife

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 24^th 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.”

Kelly’s BA (Hons) Fashion Art Direction course requires students to visually communicate fashion-based ideas, and he has been sharing his extensive portfolio during seminars. He added: “It’s been great to use these images and my experience to inform my teaching of the next generation of nightlife photographers. 

“Interestingly, that raw, analogue early noughties photographic style is becoming popular again with fashion brands and with our students. It’s fantastic to be able to help them to blend old and new techniques, and to be able to pass on my learnings from an era when some things were different, but others were the same.”

Last year Kelly exhibited his photos of iconic British artists including John Cooper Clarke, Ian Brown and Amy Winehouse at Manchester’s Refuge.

20 Year Party People is at Elecktrik at Chorlton from 7pm on Thursday 24^th October.