Now edging into their 80s, the Rolling Stones are about to embark on their latest world tour, but a new exhibition in Notting Hill rewinds to the band's salad days, in which they recorded Beggars Banquet, created the Rock and Roll Circus and self-exiled in the south of France.
The photos by 'Spanish Tony' (the nickname given to Tony Sanchez, the Stones' photographer friend) remained undetected in a south London attic for decades, but will now go on show at Notting Hill's J/M Gallery for the fleeting stint of 29 February-5 March 2024, and promise to capture the band in arguably their coolest period. "I spent months trawling through Tony's archive — thousands of negatives and contact sheets — and am blown away by Tony's unique eye and the quality of these images," says Oliver Bayliss of Bayliss Rare Books Ltd, who are presenting the exhibition along with Spanish Tony Media.
The only image of the 27 we've seen ourselves is of Keef in a cloud of smoke (quelle surprise) sat behind a sound desk, with a spaghetti of leads coiling out of it. If there are more as good as this though, visitors to the free exhibition will be in for a treat. As is usually the case at these private gallery affairs, there'll also be the chance to buy prints.
But you'll need to be quick; the exhibition's only around for six days, which by our calculation, is about 3,700 times shorter than the Stones themselves have been in business.
The Rolling Stones: Elegantly Wasted, J/M Gallery in Notting Hill 29 February-5 March 2024, free
