Chalkie Davies at National Museum Cardiff

Chalkie Davies is responsible for many of my favourite photos of my favourite bands. I'm really glad a collection of his early works, taken during his days with the NME and The Face magazine, is being displayed at the National Museum Cardiff from May 9 until September 6. Chalkie was recently interviewed by The Guardian and told them he's doing the show as he feels the time is right for his story to be told... “(My tale is)how a kid from Sully can go to London all alone, and end up getting the one job he always wanted, and then to work with all the people he admired, to help shape and mould them visually, to create the images the fans would see, and most importantly remember.

“That’s the key to it all, the images must be definitive, iconic I guess, and if kids put those photos on their bedroom wall then I had done my job properly.” Yesterday I was in the company of original Damned drummer Rat Scabies and 2-Tone legend Horace Panter. I brought copy of Chalkie's excellent book ("Pointed Portraits") along. Scabies and Panter both had very positive memories of Davies both of them were saying they thought he was a great photographer and great person to hang out with too.

Chalkie's exhibition has been supported by the People’s Postcode Lottery and entry is free.