Stormtroopers in Stilettos

When Freddie Mercury boldly stated to his lycra-clad band mates, ‘Let’s face it darlings, we’re the most preposterous band that ever lived’, he could not have been more on the mark.

The most rhythmic male anatomy lesson one could wish for, Queen’s unique style has made almost as much of an impression on public consciousness as their music.

Coming at us on a wave of spandex, glitter and feathered mullets, Stormtroopers in Stilettos: Queen, The Early Years, is a major (free) exhibition celebrating the formation of Queen and their first five albums and also heralds the start of Queen’s fourtieth anniversary this year.

The first ever large-scale Queen exhibition, Stormtroopers in Stilettos will be taking over the cavernous Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane from February 25 to March 12 before embarking upon its tour of the world’s major cities.

Featuring never-before-seen photographs from the band’s personal archive, the exhibition creates a 360 degree experience combining unseen and bespoke interactive audio and visual environments giving you unadulterated access to the birth of this global super group.

From Freddie and Roger’s day jobs in Kensington Market to midnight writing sessions in Freddie’s bedsit, the exhibition follows the band evolve into the force to be reckoned within their now infamous show at Hyde Park in 1976 in front of 250,000 fans.

Alongside these incredible photographs, the exhibition has also raided the closets of the band including some legendary ballet pumps belonging to Freddie Mercury that sparked the interest of one Sid Vicious, Roger Taylor’s original drum kit and Brian May’s winged top, designed by Zandra Rhodes.

Each room is specially curated including a studio area dedicated to the band’s early John Peel sessions, an area for Mick Rock’s era-defining photography of the band, a cinema space and a collection of the incredible artwork which has graced Queen’s album releases around the world.

Celebrating Queen in all their various incarnations, the exhibition kick-starts the band’s anniversary year which will also see a major BBC TV documentary, the filming of the much anticipated Hollywood movie written by Peter Morgan (The Queen, Frost/Nixon) including the disturbingly uncanny casting of Sacha Baron Cohen as Mr Mercury. The exhibition will also coincide with the release of a two track single, Stormtroopers in Stilettos featuring two previously unreleased versions of tracks recorded in the early ’70s.

Continuing the trend of rock ‘n’ roll photography and memorabilia exhibitions in east London of late, Stormtroopers in Stilettos looks set to turn the volume to 11. (And yes, I know that reference is Spinal Tap).

Stormtroopers in Stilettos is open from February 25 to March 12 at:

The Old Truman Brewery
91 Brick Lane
Shoreditch
E1 6QL