Snap Shot: WA Music Photography from the Archives

In collaboration with West Australian Music (WAM) and the Perth International Jazz Festival , the State Library presents Snap Shot - an extensive digital display of local music photography spanning almost a century.

View hundreds of images that capture the vibrancy and vitality of live music performances, plus candid shots of some of the state’s biggest musical exports. See incredible images from dedicated aficionados, photographers, amateurs and documenters. Who captured everything from West Australian music royalty playing some of the state’s biggest stages to events, festivals, grass-roots venues and underground music scenes

Snap Shot dives into the State Library’s photographic archives to unearth vital remnants of WA’s long musical history. This collection includes staged and live photos of everything from orchestras to solo instrumentalists, featuring large professional ensembles who performed to huge crowds in the state’s largest ballrooms, to junk bands and jammers performing in barns, on trucks and at backyard parties.

Soundtracked by an all-local selection of tunes. Spanning the history of recorded music in WA, encompassing many classics and undiscovered gems from cult acts.

Come and sit, revel in the sounds and images, revisit local music lore or discover a new favourite.

The State Library music image collection has grown considerably following the incorporation of WAM’s photo print collection and a new collaboration with the Perth International Jazz Festival.

Snap Shot aligns with WA Music Month and the Perth International Jazz Festival (Perth, 4-6 November and Southwest 12-13 November).

Content from Snap Shot will also be playing across WA Music Month at both the Northbridge Piazza Screen (intermittent times day and night) and Livid Skate Café , Scarborough (screening daily).