9.29°C It all began at a club called Weavers in Braintree in 1978. That was the first time Geoff Lawrence dared to carry a camera to a gig, but he only shot the support band, Day Release, as the atmosphere became a little aggressive when the main act, The Lepers (later to become Modern English), took to the stage. From then on, his camera was as important as his keys and wallet – especially when heading to the Colne Lodge, the Uni dancehall, the Tech in Sheepen Road or any number of venues to see his favourite local bands.
There are gaps in the 35 years Geoff has spent photographing (and playing in) bands – times when he was far too drunk to trust himself with a Nikon in a public place. The late 80s were a particularly dodgy time for this reason, as were the mid-90s when he was pouring everything into Slugworth, his band at the time, and his band again now. Geoff’s daughter was born in 2004 and, following this momentous event, both photographing and playing on the local scene were put on the back burner. But in the last couple of years, those old interests have been stirred once more, resulting in an exhibition at Slack Space from Wednesday 27 March until 13 April.
Geoff claims the photographs on display do not represent his finest work as a photographer, although he’s ‘chuffed’ with many of them. Instead, they have been chosen to reflect the different characters involved in the Colchester music scene over the past 35 years – a scene it has been Geoff’s pleasure to be part of.
Musical Masterpieces: Geoff Lawrence’s Photographic Record of the Colchester Music Scene 1978–2013 opens today at Slack Space, Victoria Place.
The exhibition is free and open from 11am to 6pm, Wednesday to Saturday.
