Queen are a British rock band that formed in London in 1970. Their classic line-up was Freddie Mercury (lead vocals, piano), Brian May (lead guitar, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), and John Deacon (bass guitar). Queen's earliest works were influenced by progressive rock, hard rock and heavy metal, but the band gradually ventured into more conventional and radio-friendly works by incorporating further styles, such as arena rock and pop rock, into their music.
The band drew artistic influences from British rock acts of the 1960s and early 1970s, such as the Beatles, the Kinks, Cream, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Who, Black Sabbath, Slade, Deep Purple, David Bowie, Genesis and Yes, in addition to American guitarist Jimi Hendrix, with Mercury also inspired by the gospel singer Aretha Franklin. May referred to the Beatles as being "our bible in the way they used the studio and they painted pictures and this wonderful instinctive use of harmonies."
At their outset in the early 1970s, Queen's music has been characterised as "Led Zeppelin meets Yes" due to its combination of "acoustic/electric guitar extremes and fantasy-inspired multi-part song epics". They have been recognised as having made significant contributions to such genres as hard rock, and heavy metal, among others. Hence, the band have been cited as an influence by many other musicians.
Many scholars consider the "Bohemian Rhapsody" music video ground-breaking, and credit it with popularising the medium.
Freddie Mercury performing onstage wearing a harlequin one-piece at Brøndby Hallen, Copenhagen in 1977
Freddie Mercury performing onstage in 1975 wearing his iconic Zandra Rhodes outfit
Freddie Mercury and Brian May photographed on Queens first solo British tour on October 30th 1974 at Manchester’s Palace Theatre.
Freddie Mercury onstage with Queen at the Brøndby Hallen, Copenhagen in 1977 on their A Day At The Races Tour
Freddie live at the Rainbow Theatre in March 1974 wearing a Zandra Rhodes creation.
Limited edition of Morgan Howell's original painting of the cover of Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody' vinyl single
Queen rehearsing for their first major tour . North End Road, Fulham, London July 1973
Freddie Mercury performing onstage with Queen during their legendary Christmas Eve 1975 concert at Hammersmith Odeon
Mick Rock cover artwork for the iconic Queen 2 album released in 1974
Freddie Mercury performing at Brøndby Hallen, Copenhagen during Queen's 'A Day At The Races' Tour in May 1977
Pharell Williams in 2015 on the Pyramid Stage at the Glastonbury Festival
Thom Yorke and Radiohead playing a surprise performance on the Glastonbury Festival Park Stage in 2010
Jarvis Cocker performing one of his signature moves with Pulp on The Park Stage during the 2011 Glastonbury Festival
Stormzy lights up the Pyramid stage at the 2019 Festival wearing a Banksy designed Union Jack vest
The Faces were an English rock band formed in the wake of the Small Faces’ split in 1969, releasing four studio LPs and one live album.
U2 are an Irish rock band from Dublin. Formed in 1976, the group are one of the world's best-selling music artists of all time.
Thin Lizzy's music reflects a wide range of influences, including blues, soul music, psychedelic rock, and traditional Irish folk music.
Adam and the Ants were an English new wave band active during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The group existed from 1977 to 1982.
Our contact sheet collection is a rare opportunity to look back at the hidden moments surrounding some of rocks most iconic images.
This print collection by Jill Furmanovsky contains images of Oasis on-the-road, onstage and recording in the studio during their zenith.
For eight years photographer Brian Duffy worked with David Bowie and shot his most iconic and enduring images. View his fantastic collection
