I first saw Dennis Morris Music + Life Exhibition in Paris at The Museum of European Photography. There were long queues down the street to see this cool British-Jamaican photographer and I felt so thrilled as a Brit to be part of that international queue. However, it was too crowded though for me so I did not have the time or space to linger and appreciate to the max Morris’ imagery. So I I blocked out the time on this sunny Sunday afternoon, as I just had to revisit this exhibition at The Photographers' Gallery in London, and thankfully today it was less crowded!

Morris’ story is fascinating. He came with his mum from Jamaica, lived in Hackney (where I too I have local family connections) and was mentored as a schoolboy shooting images with his camera by Donald Patterson, who ran the local church photography club. I loved his images of Hackney society at that time, as well as the scenes of Sikh life up west in Southall.

Dennis’s astonishing music photography trajectory also started when he was a schoolboy, after he met Bob Marley. and he asked Morris to come on the road with him. Dennis did not hesitate, leaving home and school, initially journeying to Paris, as well touring Jamaica with Bob, capturing some intimate and iconic shots, including Marley’s album covers, that you will no doubt instantly recognise. His life concert shots too are luminous, having got involved in Jamaica's Reggae scene, consequently getting unique access to photograph Dennis Brown, Burning Spear, Lynton Kwesi-Johnson and others.

Morris' career then turned to Punk, from getting the Sex Pistols stage and crowd shots at London's The Marquee Club, to going on tour with Johnny Rotten and Sid Vicious, as well as capturing Sid and Nancy Spungen. Indeed, when Johnny Rotten subsequently became John Lydon and PIL, Dennis did a Vogue inspired photo shoot, which could not have been any further from those anarchic Punk music days!

Morris also photographed more avant-garde artists of the time, such as capturing Marianne Faithfull’s Warhol-esque image, silhouetted smoking a cigarette for her album cover of 'Broken English'. Indeed, Dennis was there camera in hand moving with the zeitgeist, photographing many celebrities and musicians including Goldie, The Prodigy, Skin of Skunk Anansie, The Slits, Oasis, XTC, Bootsy Collins , The Stone Roses, Stevie Wonder, Lady Soul, Jah Wobble, Grace Jones and many more. Morris even had his own musical moment, Basement 5, of whom Dennis was the creative force, lead vocalist and lyricist.

If you cannot get to the exhibition which closes tomorrow on Sunday 28th September, then there’s a book accompanying the imagery. Anyway, I hope my images of images below also capture the spirit of some of the most pivotal moments in 20th-century culture, from the soulful vibrancy of Reggae to the rebellious energy of Punk.

Being passionate as I am about photography, Roberts is inspirational to me. Indeed, renowned for his intimate portraits of cultural icons, his photographs document a vivid exploration of music, identity and social change. Lovingly curated with accompanying music, my second visit to Morris’ exhibition, this time in London, was superb!

Review and Photos: Denise Lester