Noel Gallagher makes surprise appearance to honour Jill Furmanovsky at Abbey Road Music Photography Awards
Noel hailed the legendary snapper as "one of my best friends".
By Nick Reilly
Noel Gallagher made a surprise appearance at the Abbey Road Music Photography Awards last night to honour Jill Furmanovsky – the legendary photographer responsible for some of Oasis‘ most memorable snaps.
The singer hailed Furmanovsky as “one of my best friends” and “the best ever” as he handed her the icon award – to mark her glittering 50 years in music photography.
As well as capturing the Gallagher brothers in their era-defining heyday, Furmanovsky is known for shooting the likes of Billie Eilish, Stevie Wonder, Bob Dylan, Blondie and Kate Bush.
“She’s a very, very dear friend of mine… and it’s been an honour to have been associated with her for 30 years,” Gallagher said on stage at Abbey Road Studios in London. “I can only say that she is as lovely as she seems, she’s one of my best friends, and I adore her.”
Furmanovsky also told the Abbey Road crowd she was “so overwhelmed” to be honoured and had no idea that Gallagher would be presenting the prize.
This year’s competition saw entries increase by over 50 percent from last year — with 22,000 images from 28 different countries submitted across the six open-entry categories: Undiscovered Photographer of the Year, Music Moment of the Year, Live Music Award, Underground Scenes Award, Making Music Award, and Jazz: The Rebirth of Cool. A panel of judges determined the nominees in three additional invited categories: Portrait, Editorial, and ICON.
Hosted by Edith Bowman, Tom Pallant took home the Music Moment of the Year Award, which was decided by a public vote, for capturing Blur at the band’s second Wembley Stadium show in July 2023. “Knowing Graham would launch his guitar 20 feet in the air, I was ready to capture the exact moment… It’s the only time I’ve ever shouted ‘YES!’ out loud after getting a shot,” said Pallant.
London-based photographer Andreia Lemos won the trophy for the Undiscovered Photographer of the Year Award with her image of Australian rock band Amyl and the Sniffers. The Live Music category went to Francis Mancini for his photo of Darren Styles and Lemphek nabbed the Underground Scenes Award for his image of BBQ frontman Hui Zu and Bad Tailor guitarist Chen Hongmin.
The nominated entries for the 2024 Abbey Road Awards will also be showcased at London’s Royal Albert Hall from Oct. 8 to Nov. 12.