A forthcoming exhibition featuring exclusive behind-the-scenes photographs of the iconic American rock band Blondie will debut in London.

This complimentary showcase at the Barbican Music Library will display 50 images captured in New York during the pivotal year of 1978, the same year they launched their renowned album, Parallel Lines.

The photographs were taken by Martyn Goddard, a music photographer who chronicled the band’s performances, backstage moments, studio sessions, and promotional shoots.

Goddard reflected, “When I boarded a flight in May 1978 to photograph Debbie Harry, the lead singer of Blondie, in New York, I never imagined that my photographs would still be sought after over 45 years later.”

He described the exhibition as a compelling visual representation of a significant era in Blondie’s journey, encapsulating the band’s “vitality, authenticity, and flair.”

“These assignments produced a collection of work that led to magazine features, album and single artwork, tour programs, posters, a published book, and two previous photo exhibitions.”

Blondie, which was formed in 1974, initially gained traction at New York’s legendary CBGB club alongside contemporaries such as The Ramones and Talking Heads. After disbanding in 1982, they reunited in the late 1990s. Their chart-topping singles include Heart Of Glass, Call Me, and The Tide Is High, with a new album scheduled for release next year.

Brendan Barns of the City of London Corporation noted, “As trailblazers of the New Wave movement, the band created countless unforgettable hits, and this new exhibition is sure to evoke vivid memories of one of the most dynamic bands of their time.”

This exhibition comes on the heels of the passing of Blondie’s long-serving drummer, Clem Burke, who died in April at the age of 70 after a cancer diagnosis.

The exhibit, titled Blondie in Camera 1978, will be open from August 14 to January 5.