Rolling Stones Unseen

About Rolling Stones Unseen

Rolling Stones Unseen exposes rock's greatest rebels before they conquered the world

Get ready for the holy grail of rock archaeology, as Nylon Pie presents Rolling Stones Unseen '63.

Running from June 6 to September 12 2025 at the atmospheric Dockside Vaults in London's St. Katharine Docks, this seismic cultural event will showcase over 100 never exhibited photographs shot by maverick lens-man Gus Coral in 1963.

Having laid dormant for nearly six decades, these rarely seen images expose the primal DNA of what would become the world's greatest rock 'n' roll band. Before they became the indestructible force of nature we know today, the Stones were five hungry young Brits obsessed with American blues, prowling London's smoke-filled jazz clubs.

Formed in 1962 when childhood friends Mick Jagger and Keith Richards reconnected with blues aficionado Brian Jones, the Stones embodied the dangerous antithesis to The Beatles' polished appeal. While Liverpool's fab four wore matching suits, these London rebels donned unwashed jeans and unkempt hair, emanating a sexuality so threatening that parents across Britain locked up their daughters.

The autumn of '63 captured in Coral's lens represents the explosive moment when the fuse was lit. Fresh from residencies at London's Crawdaddy Club where they'd built a rabid following, the Stones were embarking on their first UK tour alongside American idols The Everly Brothers and Bo Diddley – the very architects of the sound they were reinventing. It was here, with Richards perfecting his guitar swagger, Jagger developing his provocative strut, and Jones still firmly at the helm as the band's founder and visionary, that rock's most enduring dynasty was forged.

Coral's photographs freeze this volcanic creative moment: Jones leaning into his slide guitar with the focused intensity that made him the band's early spiritual leader; Jagger, not yet the strutting peacock but already commanding attention with feral intensity; Richards developing the laconic cool that would define him; Wyman's stoic presence anchoring the chaos; and Watts, the reluctant rock star, bringing jazz-honed precision to the blues explosion.

“These photographs have been a closely guarded secret for over 60 years, seen only by a handful of people. They capture The Rolling Stones in a way the world has never witnessed, raw, ambitious, and on the cusp of greatness in 1963. I’m thrilled to finally share them with the world”. Says Gus Coral, the photographer behind these incredible pictures.

For fans seeking relics, exclusive merchandise featuring Coral's images adorns everything from vinyl sleeves to guitar picks, allowing the faithful to possess fragments of this unearthed testament to rock's most pivotal genesis.

This isn't merely an exhibition; it's a rare portal to the exact moment when rock 'n' roll's most enduring outlaws first harnessed their revolutionary power. These aren't just photographs; they're the lost scrolls of rock's most essential creation myth.