Everything But The Girl
Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt were a sweet couple who had both signed solo deals with the indie label Cherry Red. They had just moved down from Hull where they had been to university. I photographed them on the banks of the River Thames a couple of months before their debut single, a cover of Cole Porter’s ‘Night & Day’ was released. They were very shy and it can be a challenge to photograph people when they don’t want to make eye contact with the camera. It was better to just capture how they interacted with each other rather than trying to get them to do any formal poses. They have produced a wealth of music over the years – I photographed Tracey the following month in her other band Marine Girls and Everything But The Girl have gone on to reinvent themselves working with Massive Attack and becoming favourites on the club and jazz scene especiallywith Todd Terry remixes. Ben Watt has gone on to be regarded as a top dance music producer and club dj. They were also one of the first people to ever buy one of my prints so I’ve always had an extra soft spot for them.
