Forty years ago, musicians, actors, superstars and has-beens spent many a wild night in an abandoned 1880s Presbyterian church. Dubbed Britain’s most famous nightspot by The Times, Limelight drew all crowds, from New Romantics, US Rappers, British TV stars and fashionistas.
It was almost too dark to see what was going on, but by asking guests to hold matches to their face, photographer David Koppel was on hand to capture a significant era of club culture. From Bob Geldof holding his stag do there in 1986 before marrying Paula Yates, Prince Charles popping in and Boy George and George Michael having a rare public catch-up, Limelight marked a unique and eclectic merging of cultural history.
Limelight – First Edition
‘I said I didn’t like nightclubs, I didn’t drink, I wasn’t interested in celebrities, and I was a ‘serious’ photographer,’ says Koppel, who has united his Limelight archive for the first time in a book. ‘They said, ‘We’ll pay you for one night.’ That one night lasted a year and paved the way for a decade on Fleet Street.’
At the time, newspapers and magazines weren’t interested in colour photography – ‘It seems unthinkable now,’ says Koppel, who produced his images in black and white.
(Image credit: David Koppel)
Capturing celebrities including Boy George, George Michael, Johnny Rotten, Leigh Bowery, Nile Rogers, Belinda Carlisle, Brian May, Kim Wilde, Iggy Pop, Jeff Beck, Bananarama, Malcolm McLaren, Lemmy from Motorhead, Billy Idol and Shane MacGowan, Koppel’s archive is a who’s-who of the Eighties. ‘This small collection of works is a celebration of the nightlife of a time gone by, the start of a personal journey and an evocation of the irrepressible spirit of the 1980s,’ adds Koppel.
To coincide with the book’s release in September, there will be an exhibition of the work at London’s Zebra One Gallery, with a book signing on 9 October
Shane MacGowan and Chrissy Hynde
(Image credit: David Koppel)
(Image credit: David Koppel)
Patsy Kensit and Jasper Conran
(Image credit: David Koppel)
Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie
(Image credit: David Koppel)
Billy Idol and Nile Rogers
(Image credit: David Koppel)
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