Manchester's Salford Lads Club, established in 1903, was for most of its existence a typical British recreation center, offering facilities and activities such as boxing, football, and basketball to young men. But in 1985, something happened that would make it world-famous: Stephen Wright, a young photographer, snapped an image of local band The Smiths outside the doors of the club. First used on the vinyl sleeve for the album The Queen Is Dead, the photo would go on to become one of the most iconic and recognizable images of the band.
“In comparison to the next generation of band photos––it was very crude," Stephen RECALLED in the Sabotage Times last year. "It was just a man with a camera, no make-up artists or hair stylists, just very simple and quite casual. It looks almost half arsed rather than overly posed. I’d say it was a gritty photo.”
Half arsed or not, the photo has transformed the Salford Lads Club into a destination for Smiths fans from around the world. A Smiths and Morrissey lover myself, I finally got a chance to visit the club this fall. In one part of the Victorian brick building, a former weightlifting room has been dedicated to Smiths memorabilia. People making the pilgrimage from as far as Japan and Hawaii had left old photos and more than a few worshipful letters to Morrissey. It's clear that in the years since 1985, he's attained an almost god-like status among some fans.
The club, which still offers recreational activities to local youth, is funded by charity donations and benefactors including Morrissey, who in 2007 donated £20,000 to help save it from closing. Over the years, the club has been visited by hundreds of fans from the likes of model Cara Delevingne to UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Many of them snap their own photos in the spot where Stephen captured The Smiths––a temptation I couldn't resist myself, as you'll see below.
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OC London's Aaron Dixon outside the door The Smiths stood in front of almost 30 years ago
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Stephen Wright's photograph of The Smiths was immortalized on the vinyl sleeve of their album The Queen is Dead.
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A mosaic in Salford Lads Club's weightlifting room featuring Morrissey
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Fan memorabilia lines the wall![]()
A postcard sent from Morrissey to Stephen Wright about Stephen's photograph of The Smiths
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Original weightlifting equipment from the 50s
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“In comparison to the next generation of band photos––it was very crude," Stephen RECALLED in the Sabotage Times last year. "It was just a man with a camera, no make-up artists or hair stylists, just very simple and quite casual. It looks almost half arsed rather than overly posed. I’d say it was a gritty photo.”
Half arsed or not, the photo has transformed the Salford Lads Club into a destination for Smiths fans from around the world. A Smiths and Morrissey lover myself, I finally got a chance to visit the club this fall. In one part of the Victorian brick building, a former weightlifting room has been dedicated to Smiths memorabilia. People making the pilgrimage from as far as Japan and Hawaii had left old photos and more than a few worshipful letters to Morrissey. It's clear that in the years since 1985, he's attained an almost god-like status among some fans.
The club, which still offers recreational activities to local youth, is funded by charity donations and benefactors including Morrissey, who in 2007 donated £20,000 to help save it from closing. Over the years, the club has been visited by hundreds of fans from the likes of model Cara Delevingne to UK Prime Minister David Cameron. Many of them snap their own photos in the spot where Stephen captured The Smiths––a temptation I couldn't resist myself, as you'll see below.
OC London's Aaron Dixon outside the door The Smiths stood in front of almost 30 years ago
Stephen Wright's photograph of The Smiths was immortalized on the vinyl sleeve of their album The Queen is Dead.
A mosaic in Salford Lads Club's weightlifting room featuring Morrissey
Fan memorabilia lines the wall
A postcard sent from Morrissey to Stephen Wright about Stephen's photograph of The Smiths
Original weightlifting equipment from the 50s
