Blur drummer gives pupils insight into photography

Blur drummer Dave Rowntree gave primary school children an insight into his love of photography when his photography exhibition was held in Brighton.

Rowntree taught the children about traditional methods of photography and how to develop pictures.

He started taking photographs at the start of the band's career as he believed Blur wouldn't be that successful and he wanted to document their journey.

One child, who had been hearing from Rowntree on how to take and develop images, said: "It's really cool" but it "takes longer" than expected to see the finished product.

"It must be really exciting when it comes out," they added.

Another child, referring to Rowntree's camera, said: "I'd use it lots of times if I was patient, but I'm just like 1% patient."

Rowntree said: "Indie music was incredibly unfashionable, and so I thought: 'We're only going to get 15 minutes of fame. I want to remember every second of the 15 minutes.'"

After growing popular, he stopped taking photos before returning to capture the band in a different phase in their career.

"What shone through in the pictures was how much joy we were taking in it," Rowntree said.

The photos are also available in his book, 'No One You Know', which documents pivotal moments for Blur, such as their first world tour and their first trip to Japan.

He said: "Walking on stage with the three other lads is still incredibly exciting and playing together is still a magical experience."

The exhibition at Indelible Fine Art features exclusive behind-the-scenes pictures of the band in the 90s, and runs until 16 September.

Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, X, and Instagram and listen to BBC Radio Sussex on Sounds. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.