Biography

Phil Nicholls was born in Cornwall and studied fine art at Falmouth and Bath. A passion for music fuelled by nights listening to John Peel would lead him to change direction, switching courses and specialising in photography.

In 1985, not long after leaving Bath Academy of Art, he received his first break in the music business, scooping the Zigzag/Pentax Photographer of the Year Rock Portrait Award. This break took him to London and a career as a freelance music photographer.

He joined weekly music magazine Melody Maker in 1985 and over the next 12 years became renowned for his gritty, intelligent portraits of rock celebrities, developing into a major figure in his field. His iconic images of artists like Red Hot Chili Peppers, Echo and the Bunnymen, Boy George, The Prodigy, Bjork and Courtney Love have appeared in Vogue, Uncut, Blitz, Q, Evening Standard, NME and countless other titles, while his work has been exhibited in London, Brussels and Tokyo.

2003 saw the publication of the book Classic Cafes (Black Dog Publishing) with author Adrian Maddox, a study of London's 'greasy spoon' cafe culture. Word-of-mouth and great reviews saw the title quickly sell out its initial print run, and copies now change hands on Amazon for extortionate prices! In Spring 2007 Traditional Shops and Restaurants of London (New York Review of Books) was published, a guide book to London's century-old establishments.

“Traditional Shops and Restaurant works so well because even the deskbound non-traveller will enjoy reading its informed and informative entries and lingering long over Phil Nicholls' beautiful photographs” (review: The Book Depository).

In December 2008 Savoir Faire London (New York Review of Books) will be published. This collaboration with author Elaine Louie, from the New York Times, is a guide to some of the city's most interesting eateries, illustrated by Phil's evocative images.

Now based in his home county of Cornwall, Phil's London connection continues with frequent trips working in music, fashion and on a new book project. He's recently completed a detailed listing of all his rock images from an archive covering 25 years, making it available for publication or private sale. More commercial work is in progress and his experience with documentary photography will soon be put to the test contributing to the degree course at Falmouth University.