‘What Presence’ and ‘Keeping The Stories Alive’ at Tolbooth Stirling

Tolbooth Stirling showcases classic pop imagery

Harry Papadopoulos might not be a name recognised by many outside fans of classic Scottish pop, but the subjects of his photos certainly will be. From taking pictures of gigs in Glasgow to a career as a photographer for the weekly music newspaper Sounds, his work covered portraits and live shots of Scottish stars at their peak in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s as well as international names from the same era.

Some of those images are currently on display at Stirling’s Tolbooth arts venue, with portraits of home-grown legends like Aztec Camera and Altered Images, the Bluebells and The Associates. Josef K, subjects of a recently published biography, also make a significant appearance, as do Strawberry Switchblade, the Glasgow act whose sweetly pop-flavoured songs featured a dark gothic heart. Local heroes like Stephen Pastel and Edwin Collins are also rightly celebrated too.

While the band The Dreamboys might not have gone on to become household names, Craig Ferguson and Peter Capaldi who were in the band certainly did, and Harry was there with his camera to capture them.
But Harry’s focus went further than just Scottish acts, Bowie, the Clash, Patti Smith and the Birthday Party – featuring a young Nick Cave – all appear in this well-curated selection.

A special mention has to be made of the portrait of Orange Juice, taken with a Box Brownie camera in Nardini’s café in Largs. It’s possibly one of the finest pictures of the collection, the perfect band for the era, in the perfect location given a unique treatment with a historic vintage camera.

The Tolbooth brings together the Harry Papadopoulos images with Keeping The Stories Alive, a collection of memorabilia from local Stirling acts from the ‘50s to the ‘80s. touching on everything from early rock ‘n’ roll to post-punk. Coinciding with a book of the same name that charts the history of Stirling and Clacks entertainers and venues, there are pictures, posters, flyers and fanzines that all chronicle a vibrant and constantly changing scene.

The Tolbooth in Stirling is one of Scotland’s liveliest arts venues, with music at the core of what it offers. The exhibition captures the importance of those fleeting moments and gives them the historical recognition they deserve.

‘What Presence’ and ‘Keeping The Stories Alive’ runs at the Tolbooth Tue- Sat 10am-5pm until 28th September. Admission is free.