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  Cummins was at one time the chief photographer of British music magazine, the NME, spending 10 years in that position. His association with the magazine lasted for 25 years, and many of his previously published collections have centred around his time with that publication. These include books on Morrissey, The Fall, and New Order. His work has also been represented in various exhibitions over the years. Hailing from Manchester, much of his work has focussed on around bands from the North West, however he also documented Manchester City’s final season at Maine Road.  

According to a press release quoted by the NME, the book captures the band’s evolution during “twelve months of seismic change that cemented the identity of Oasis.” The book explores the links between the band, and aspects of their image, such as fashion, football, and everything in between. The same press release referred to this as the “just-bought-at-Affleck’s Palace attainability of their look.”

The book features over 150 photographs, with over three-quarters of the included images previously unreleased. The book’s greatest moments are when the band are caught off-guard, with the candid reflections revealing the dynamics of a band that would become global superstars in less than a year. Photos included in a Daily Mail exclusive showed images of Liam Gallagher standing on chairs, and wearing shower caps, with the paper also reporting that the images focussed more on the younger Gallagher, rather than his older brother, Noel.  

Promoting the book, Cummins appeared on Robert Elms’ BBC Radio London slot on 22 March. Discussing various elements of the portfolio, Cummins explained how the photos came about. He was asked to photograph the band by their label, Creation Records, who thought they’d get along given their shared support of Manchester City. He also shared that he is still friends with the brothers, seeing Noel more often than Liam. Recalling their first planned shoot, the photographer described how a session in Amsterdam was cancelled after the band got into a fight with Chelsea fans on the ferry crossing.

A spread from my forthcoming book: #Oasis: The Masterplan The book covers ’94, their breakthrough year. I was commissioned to photograph them with various lighting, locations & styles, for Creation to see what suited them best. Linktree link on my biog to order -it’s out 27 March pic.twitter.com/OtOxiPIcOE

— Kevin Cummins (@KCMANC) March 21, 2025

The book also features commentary and insights from Noel Gallagher, whose present day reflections put those candid moments in context. In a promotional quote for the book, Gallagher said: “This book really brings those early years back to me. Kevin’s photographs captured us at the very beginning. This is a must-have book for every Oasis fan.”

Oasis: The Masterplan is on sale now with an RRP of £35, though it is available for less from various retailers. Fan responses to Cummins through his social media were positive, with one X user saying, “Some lovely snaps! Good job you had a camera on you!” With fewer than 100 days until Oasis kick off their reunion tour, this book is almost certain to build even more excitement.

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The New York-based photographer made a name for himself within the late 90s and early 00’s with his timeless pieces featuring the era’s brightest stars. Johnson’s photos of Missy Elliott, Lauryn Hill, Biggie Smalls, Nas and Aaliyah sired the photographer a reputation for brilliance and placed him at the forefront of the music industry. Much like the musicians he snapped, Johnson’s talent has transcended through the decades. The icon award first winner’s recent work includes modern-day artists including Shygirl and Doja Cat.

Johnson has spoken about the win, “It’s super surreal being the first recipient of the Abbey Road Studios Music Photography ICON Award. I’m super low-key by nature and through all of these years it never dawned on me that after taking all of these pics that ultimately it would all come back to me. That people would be curious about me. I kinda knew that my photos would stand the test of time but being considered an ICON wasn’t anything I really thought about. Wow!!! I’m into it.”

The legendary shutterbug continued to discuss his work, “Having such a diverse group of talented artists recognise my work is really what it’s all about. This is a curious industry we’re in. It’s been like a rollercoaster ride and this acknowledgement is such a high. It makes me feel like ‘Wow, I’ve really been right and onto something from the beginning and people are really recognising this. It’s AWESOME and inspires me to keep pushing even more. I wanna keep creating imagery that the culture really feels.”

Johnson concludes with advice for aspiring photographers, “I hope this all inspires emerging talents to try and stay as true to yourself as possible. There’s potentially something great just around the corner. Don’t sweat the industry like that. Keep working on your craft.”

Isabel Garvey, Abbey Road’s Managing Director has also given a statement concerning the award, “The judging panel wanted the recipient of our first MPAs ‘Icon Award’ to be a photographer whose impact and contribution to the art of music photography has been pronounced and unparalleled and we have no doubt that Eric meets these criteria. We’re delighted that Eric has accepted the award as his work throughout his career to date has been some of the most vital and memorable in music photography.”

The historic studios are holding the new awards as part of their birthday celebration, the ceremony will join the various events planned to observe the studio’s 90th anniversary. A statement provides further information, “The MPAS honour the images that capture the magic of live music, the creative process, and the exciting music scenes and movements taking place across the world. The awards will recognise photographers at all levels – whether established, emerging or undiscovered – via open-entry categories, as well as categories chosen by an esteemed judging panel made up of artists, photographers and influential names across the global music and photography industries.“

The tragic news was shared via a Twitter post on the photographers’ page. The post opened with the emotional statement, “It is with the heaviest of hearts that we share our beloved psychedelic renegade Mick Rock has made the Jungian journey to the other side.” The full statement can be read below and was shared alongside a photograph of Rock taken by his daughter Nathalie Rock.

Photo: Nathalie Rock pic.twitter.com/I50ofDuO0r

— Mick Rock (@TheRealMickRock) November 19, 2021

Rock’s work can be seen in any music fan’s collection and many of his photos have become important artefacts of music and culture. The British born photographer is responsible for the seminal album cover for Queen’s album Queen II. The instantly recognisable black and white background with the band members in position has become one of music’s most famous album covers. Rock was also David Bowe’s official photographer and snapped some of the musician’s most iconic images. The two first connected when Bowie was on the Ziggy Stardust tour, during a gig at Birmingham Town Hall the duo met backstage.

Rock was responsible for the then-controversial image which showed Bowie simulating a sexual pose upon Mick Ronson’s guitar. Rock has stated that this was the shot that catapulted himself and Bowie into stardom. In a 2020 interview with asifmag, Rock described the historic shot. “The guitar fellatio shot with Mick Ronson was an image that really got around, especially when it got to America, And David would talk about being bisexual and would put on lipstick and drive people crazy. Mick wasn’t gay and the photo isn’t meant to suggest they had a thing, David was just trying to bite Mick’s guitar. For the first time people started to ask, ‘Who took this picture?”

Rock worked with many other artists during his long and storied career and gained a reputation for snapping photographs that truly encapsulated the era. Artists in which Rock photographed ranged within genres and spanned across many decades. Rock photographed the famed rock icons of the 1970s including T.Rex, Lou Reed, Blondie, Ozzy Osbourne and Iggy Pop. He also snapped some of Punk’s most popular groups such as The Sex Pistols and The Ramones. Later on, in his career Rock worked with some of modern music’s most influential artists including Miley Cyrus, Snoop Dogg and Lady Gaga.

Tributes have been pouring in for Rock since the news had been shared. Included within the tributes was Sharon Osbourne who shared an emotive statement. “We lost a legend, a true artist @therealmickrock His work will live on forever. There are too many epic photos to choose from, but I urge you to scroll through just a few of his greatest hits. All our love and respect to his family.” Tim Burgess, the Charlatans singer, also posted a tribute stating Rock “ “made music look so exciting“.

Prints of the iconic artists being sold include Stormzy, David Bowie, Liam Gallagher, Bob Marley, Arctic Monkeys, The Streets, Tina Turner, Fatboy Slim, Alice Cooper, Sting and many more. Photographer Ed Robinson who organised the funding for ‘Prints For Music,’ hopes to raise over 100k in support of the live music sector.

In an Interview with Music Week Robinson said, “Like so many others, the struggles of the COVID-19 pandemic has affected me deeply on a personal level as well as professionally. I have reached out to the people I know in the music and photographic industries with the simple idea to try to help those who are not getting the support they need to survive this crisis.”

He added, “For many photographers who have been privileged enough to have been given access to photograph these artists, it has only been made possible by the efforts of their production teams. None of these photographs would have been possible without the artists and those who support them. This initiative is our way of giving back in their time of need. It will help preserve their livelihoods and enable the shows to go on in the future.”

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The funds that are raised will be offered as grants to out-of-work production and technician stuff in the live music sector. The impact of the coronavirus has left thousands of musicians and industry workers without jobs and struggling. Thousands of gigs, live music venues, concert halls and festivals have had to cancel or reschedule events throughout this year and the next. The UK is the second biggest music industry globally (after the US) and in 2020, Oxford economics reported that music jobs will amount to 77,000, which is a 60% drop compared with 2018.

The report noted that the, “economy would drop by $3bn, with the collapse in live music and touring being the single biggest factor contributing to the decline.” It also stated that live music would be effectively “decimated across the whole of 2020” and that the recovery would take at least three to four years to return to where it was in 2019.

Until the government makes decisions on when live music will be able to return, charities such as ‘Stagehand’ play a big part in helping musicians  keep up their hopes of returning to their livelihood. Music Week stated that chair of Stagehands board of trustee’s, Mike Lowe said,  “The livelihoods of people working in live music productions has been decimated by the effects of Covid-19. Every day we hear from people who are struggling and Stagehand is raising funds to help those in most need, with the simple aim of helping to keep roofs over heads and food on tables.”

Priced at £95, prints can be purchased from the ‘Prints For Music’ website up until 11th December.