New photos of rock legends including Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie and more are added to free exhibition at Portsmouth Guildhall

The Icons of Rock: Portrait and Performance photographic exhibition which has been on display at Portsmouth Guildhall since January, has now been extended until the end of the year.

Featuring the works of celebrated photographer, Barrie Wentzell, who was chief photographer of renowned British music weekly Melody Maker in the 1960s and ’70s, the free exhibition has been enjoyed by thousands since its opening.

And now, photographs of Freddie Mercury, Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, Eric Clapton, Viv Stanshall, Jeff Beck, John Sebastian and Sandy Denny are to be added to the exhibition which already features images of Elton John, John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Marc Bolan, Pete Townshend, Frank Zappa, Rod Stewart, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan and more.

Barrie spent a decade photographing musicians who would become legends and household names including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Louis Armstrong, Aretha Franklin, The Who and The Kinks. In 1975, he gave up music photography and moved to the Isle of Wight.

A souvenir programme to accompany the exhibition, including the new images, will be available to buy.

The exhibition was arranged by lifetime fan of Barrie’s work, Nigel Grundy, curator of the Portsmouth Music Experience at the Guildhall. Nigel said: “It has been an absolute pleasure to work with Barrie on creating and now extending this exhibition. Before Barrie joined Melody Maker, music papers used stock photography supplied by record labels, meaning they all tended to carry the same images. Barrie undoubtedly changed the face of music photography, capturing some of the most iconic images of all time.”

Barrie added: “Before I moved to Toronto, I spent seven years living on the Isle of Wight, so this area of the country holds special memories for me. When Nigel approached me about exhibiting at the Portsmouth Music Experience, it felt like the right time to display some of the most widely recognised images from my time at Melody Maker on their home turf. I hope that people enjoy seeing them as much as I enjoyed taking them.”

The exhibition is free to visit and open Monday–Friday, 10am-4pm, until December 27. For more information visit portsmouthguildhall.org.uk.