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Rare backstage Blondie photos go on show in London

Martyn Goddard Members of Blondie stand together on a rooftop in New York City in 1978, with Debbie Harry in the centre and a camera flash reflecting off her white dress.Martyn Goddard
Photographer Martyn Goddard went behind the scenes with the band in 1978

A new exhibition showcasing rare behind-the-scenes photographs of US rock band Blondie is set to open in London.

The free display at the Barbican Music Library will feature 50 images taken in New York during the group's breakthrough year in 1978, when they released their best-known album, Parallel Lines.

The photographs were taken by music photographer Martyn Goddard, who documented the band in concert, backstage, in the studio and during photo shoots.

He said: "When I boarded the plane in May 1978 to photograph Blondie's lead singer, Debbie Harry, in New York, I could not have conceived that there would still be a demand for my images over 45 years later".

Martyn Goddard Debbie Harry and a Chris Stein wear red hooded jackets and dark sunglasses on a New York street, with Harry in profile and the other figure adjusting his glasses while looking at the camera.Martyn Goddard
Debbie Harry and partner Chris Stein on the streets of New York City in 1978

Mr Goddard described the exhibition as a visual snapshot of a key moment in Blondie's history, capturing the band's "energy, rawness, and style".

"Those assignments produced a body of work that resulted in magazine cover stories, album and single covers, tour programmes, posters, a book, and two photo exhibitions."

Martyn Goddard Debbie Harry poses with a vinyl record pressed to her head, featuring a lipstick kiss mark on the label, wearing blue eyeshadow and red lipstick.Martyn Goddard
Blondie were among the first bands to bring punk and new wave into the mainstream

Blondie, formed in 1974, found early success at New York's CBGB club alongside acts like The Ramones and Talking Heads. The band split in 1982 before reforming in the late 1990s. Their chart-topping hits include Heart Of Glass, Call Me and The Tide Is High. A new album is due for release next year.

Brendan Barns from the City of London Corporation said: "As pioneers of the New Wave genre, the band produced so many memorable hits, and this new exhibition will certainly bring back many vivid memories of one of the most electrifying bands of their generation."

Martyn Goddard Debbie Harry holds a camera while surrounded by cardboard cutouts and portraits of herself in a black-and-white photo.Martyn Goddard
Debbie Harry is seen as one of the first female punk icons

The exhibition follows the death of Blondie's long-time drummer Clem Burke in April at the age of 70, following a cancer diagnosis.

Blondie in Camera 1978 runs from 14 August to 5 January.

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