Rock legends on show
Regulars to Perth small bars 399 Bar, Ezra Pound and Helvetica will have noticed some pretty darn cool photos adorning the walls.
Those three establishments are among 12 venues nationwide exhibiting the work of British rock photographer Ross Halfin, who got his start snapping punk-era bands for music mag Sounds.
One of the best shots is of the Clash, taken in full flight at London's Lyceum Ballroom in 1978, which hangs in 399 Bar in Northbridge.
"The most surprising thing for me was that they had a light show," says Halfin, who was more used to seeing the rock legends in dark clubs.
"(And) Mick Jones could jump as high as Pete Townshend."
The 56-year-old photographer covered the full gamut of bands on the UK scene during the late 70s.
"At the time of shooting the Clash, I was shooting everything," he says. "It could be (David Bowie's guitarist) Mick Ronson, Blondie, Rory Gallagher, Thin Lizzy (and) the Who - in fact, (1978) was the year I shot the last show Keith Moon ever did with them (Moon died in September, 1978).
"You could be doing mod bands, punk bands - or what was left of them - Motorhead to the Cure," adds Halfin, who later co-founded European hard rock magazine, Kerrang! "It was quite an eclectic time to be a photographer."
Another of his favourite images is of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards snapped during the Main Offender Tour in Copenhagen, Denmark, in 1992.
"I shot this at the d'Angleterre Hotel before their show that night," Halfin explains. "He came, he sat, I shot. He was very sober and an absolute pleasure."
Other rock legends featured in the exhibition, Red Bull Curates: Ross Halfin, include the Who, Black Sabbath, Metallica and Led Zeppelin, whose Jimmy Page once described him as "a damn fine photographer".
Each bar hosts 10 images, with the pictures shifting venues until the end of the year. Halfin will appear at the grand exhibition of 60 shots at the Porteno restaurant in Sydney, which runs from December 2-21.
All images on display at the bars and grand exhibition are available for purchase.
