It's Cartoon Pop
By
Stop Crying Your Heart Out
on
October 22, 2009
They are the legends of Manchester music – but not as you have ever seen them before.
Some of the city’s best loved and most infamous music icons are being depicted in pop art style at an exhibition in Chorlton.
Artist Pete McKee, who designed posters for Oasis’s home-coming gigs in Heaton Park in June, has painted a tongue-in-cheek picture of Noel Gallagher and several other leading figures.
Many of his pictures create his idea of a pivotal moment in their lives, while others reference lines from songs or show their fans.
Pete, who lives in Sheffield and has a distinctive pop art cartoon style, said: "I thought it would be fun to create some of the great moments in Manchester’s musical history.
"I tend to think about what each band’s inspirations were, either through certain lyrics or things that were supposed to have happened or images of their fans, and then draw them in a quirky light-hearted way."
The paintings, which also include pictures of Peter Hook, Shaun Ryder and The Stone Roses, are being exhibited at Oddest bar in Chorlton, before moving on to the two other city centre bars in the chain, Odd and Odder.
Some of the pictures captures key moments in the history of Manchester music. One painting shows Johnny Marr knocking on the door of Morrissey’s home on King’s Road, Stretford, and asking if he wanted to start a band.
Another shows Howard Devito and Pete Shelley, of the Buzzcocks, visiting Malcolm McClaren’s shop in London to arrange for the Sex Pistols’ now legendary gig at the Free Trade Hall.
As well as displaying his quirky pictures for sale at the bars, there is a serious aspect to the exhibition.
His painting of Joy division’s Ian Curtis sitting in a cafe is being auctioned for the Samaritans. Curtis committed suicide in 1980.
Pete said: "It’s a serious subject so it’s a hard sell in a way, but I wanted to do something that might help the Samaritans."
Cleo Farman, founder and owner of the Odd bar group, said: "We’re really flattered to have Pete’s work in our bars as he’s an influential artist and his pictures show a big part of the Manchester music scene. I love them and am very proud to have them showing in all three bars."
The paintings will be at Oddest on Wilbraham Road, Chorlton until November 4.
To bid for the Ian Curtis picture, I C Cafe, email pete@therealmckee.co.uk before December 1.
Source: www.southmanchesterreporter.co.uk