Richard Davis (photographer)

Richard Davis (born 1965)[1] is a British, social documentary and portrait photographer, based in North West England. Zines of his work have been published by Café Royal Books.[2] A series of Davis' photographs of Hulme Crescents, from the 1980s are held at the John Rylands Research Institute and Library at the University of Manchester.

Life and work

Davis was born in Birmingham. He moved from Birmingham to study photography at Manchester Polytechnic (now Manchester Metropolitan University) in 1988. Whilst living in the city, he documented life in the inner-city area of Hulme, its huge brutalist inspired concrete Crescents, as well as its many characters that inhabited the flats, many of which were squatters.[3][4][5][6][7] He also photographed Madchester musicians as well as made early portraits of comedians Steve Coogan and Caroline Aherne along with poet Lemn Sissay. Davis also photographed Nirvana live on their first tour of the UK in 1989,[8][9] photographs which were used in the BBC Two documentary film, When Nirvana Came to Britain.

In the early 1990s Davis worked with author Steve Redhead on a project called Football With Attitude, his photographs making the links between music, football and fashion. More recently, Davis made a series of portraits of Mancunians under the Mancunian Way; a document of life around Gravelly Hill Interchange—the original spaghetti junction—in Birmingham; and a set of photographs capturing life in the coastal resort of Morecambe.[10]

Publications

Books by Davis

  • The Mancunian Way (2019, Modernist Society)
  • Hulme (Manchester) (2023, Revelations 23; ISBN 978-1-874171-12-6; with a foreword by Mark Hoyle)
  • Mancunian Way (2024, Modernist; with an introduction by LoneLady and poems by Helen Angell)
  • Spaghetti Junction (2024, Modernist; with an introduction by Tom Hicks and poems by Helen Angell)

Zines by Davis

  • Hulme 1980s–90s (2019, Café Royal)[11][12]
  • Tales From The Second Cities Manchester 1988–1992 (2020, Café Royal)
  • Tales From The Second Cities Birmingham 1985–88 (2020, Café Royal)[13]
  • Football Fans 1991 (2021, Café Royal)[14][15]
  • The Madchester Years 1989–91 (2022, Café Royal)[16][17]
  • The Post-Punk Years 1988–1991 (2022, Café Royal)[18]
  • Berlin December 1989 (2022, Café Royal)[19]
  • MUFC Rotterdam 91 (2023, Lower Block)
  • Eastlands MCR 2023 (2023, Lower Block)
  • Cityzens of Manchester (2023, Lower Block)[20]
  • Going to the Match (2024, Lower Block)
  • Match of the Day, Elland Road, Leeds 1991 (2025, Café Royal)

Books with others

Exhibitions

Solo exhibitions

Group exhibitions and exhibitions as part of festivals

  • Portraiture - Past & Present, The Dukes, Lancaster, 2013[22]
  • Streets in the Sky, Bonded Warehouse, Manchester (Photo North Festival), 2022[23]

Collections

Davis' work is held in the following permanent collection:

References

  1. ^ "detail (The University of Manchester Library)". www.library.manchester.ac.uk. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  2. ^ Wray, Daniel Dylan (6 January 2023). "Black Panthers, punks and brutalist buildings: the micro-publisher exploring Britain's lost past". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  3. ^ Wray, Daniel Dylan (27 September 2023). "'It was like Blade Runner meets Berlin rave': the Manchester sink estate with the UK's wildest nightclub". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  4. ^ "How Hulme inspired three generations of photographers". The Face. 22 March 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  5. ^ Wilkinson, Damon (1 November 2020). "Ravers, crusties and chaos - what it was like to squat in Hulme Crescents". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  6. ^ "Documenting life on the fringes in Thatcher's Britain". Huck. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  7. ^ Keeling, Neal (8 September 2019). "The young lads hanging out in Hulme who would one day be famous". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  8. ^ Wilkinson, Damon (28 December 2020). "The never-before-seen photos of Nirvana's first ever Manchester gig". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  9. ^ "Previously unseen photos of Nirvana at an early UK show". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  10. ^ Molyneux, Jess (27 December 2021). "People, shops and streets in Morecambe more than a decade ago". LancsLive. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Hulme 1980s-90s". British Culture Archive. 3 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2022.
  12. ^ Grimsditch, Lee (16 July 2022). "Images of Hulme, Rusholme and Moss Side from the 'Poll Tax' era". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  13. ^ Schofield, Daisy (11 November 2020). "An unflinching portrait of 1980s Birmingham". Huck Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  14. ^ Schofield, Daisy (17 May 2021). "The photographer who captured Britain's football fans in the '90s". Huck Magazine. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  15. ^ Molyneux, Jess (25 December 2021). "Photos of Merseyside match-goers will take you back to the 90s". Liverpool Echo. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  16. ^ "Madchester icons feature in new photo book". BBC News. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  17. ^ "Gritty photos celebrating the Madchester years". Huck. 19 April 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  18. ^ "Wild, politically-charged photos of the late 80s post-punk boom". Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  19. ^ "Gritty scenes from the final days of the Berlin Wall". Huck. 15 December 2022. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  20. ^ Wilkinson, Damon (22 July 2023). "The glorious pics of Manchester City fans celebrating historic treble". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 29 August 2025.
  21. ^ "Photographer Richard Davis's post-Brexit fears inspired new work". BBC News. 12 February 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  22. ^ "Ten Mancs exhibition at The Dukes". Lancashire Evening Post. 8 March 2013. Retrieved 2 September 2025.
  23. ^ Campbell, Jenna (4 May 2022). "A festival showcasing major photography talent is coming to Manchester". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
  24. ^ Baker, Clare (15 December 2020). "Rylands BlogNew Collection Announcement: 'Images of Hulme in the 80s and 90s'". Rylands Blog. Retrieved 5 January 2023.

General references

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