Assassinated Beauty Manic Street Preachers

Description

In the early nineties, a group of disaffected and fiercely political young men from the Welsh valleys exploded onto a British music scene still in thrall to rave and acid house. It was the legendary photographer Kevin Cummins who captured James, Sean, Richie and Nicky in their most uncompromising, glam-fixated early years. Assassinated Beauty is a unique record of a band on a mission to reclaim rock n roll through literature, image and thrilling guitar pop. Working at the NME and already famous for his association with the classic images of Joy Division, The Smiths and Stone Roses, Cummins was the ideal photographer to capture the essence of a band who understood and manipulated androgynous and decadent imagery. These photographs document the period just before the release of Generation Terrorists (1992) up to Holy Bible (1995) and the subsequent disappearance of guitarist and lyricist, Richie Edwards. A revealing mix of studio shots and never-seen-before behind the scenes photographs and the ultimate portrait of one of the last great British rock n roll bands.

Promotion info

An incredible visual biography of the Manic Street Preachers from Kevin Cummins, and a huge publishing event for November 2014.

Author description

Nicky is the bass player and lyricist with the Manic Street Preachers. The group have released ten critically acclaimed albums over two decades, during which time they have won - amongst others - four Brits, an Ivor Novello, five Q awards, the Mojo Maverick award and the NME's coveted Godlike Genius Award.