In 1989, Martyn Goodacre wrangled his way into the NME’s office and quickly received his first commissions: Emo Phillips, The Family Cat and Happy Mondays. These would be the first of thousands of his photos published by the influential paper over the next decade, whether taken from the pit in front of the stage or in grubby, lessglittering surroundings backstage. With its mass of entertaining anecdotes, Working For The Enemy traces the development of the British music scene throughout the 90s, with a special emphasis on native acts but with an eye towards international artists too. It finds world renowned stars like Oasis, The Stone Roses, Blur, Portishead, The Las, Primal Scream, Chumbawamba, Sonic Youth, The Charlatans and Manic Street Preachers at ease in his company, with a liberal sprinkling of icons like Björk, Beck and Nick Cave alongside cult bands, from My Bloody Valentine to Cornershop, even the likes of John Peel and Howard Marks. Few photographers have captured the glamour and grit of a musician’s life so thrillingly.
