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THE STROKES: IS THIS IT - 25TH ANNIVERSARY. ONE NIGHT ONLY. An Exclusive Photography Exhibition Presented by Behind The Gallery & Marshall

Behind The Gallery

Key Facts:

Exhibition Details

Event: The Strokes: ‘Is This It’  25th Anniversary

Presented by: Behind The Gallery & Marshall

Date: Wednesday 22 July 2026 - One Night Only

Venue: 1/52-54 Stanley St, Darlinghurst NSW 2010

Time: 5:30pm – 8:30pm

Drinks: Heaps Normal & Young Henrys

 

RSVP:

https://www.behindthegallery.com.au/pages/the-strokes-is-this-it-25the-anniversary-celebration

 

Sydney, Australia ,July 2026 - Behind The Gallery and Marshall will present The Strokes: Is This It – 25th Anniversary, a one-night-only exhibition marking 25 years since one of the most important debut albums in rock history. The exhibition takes place Wednesday 22 July 2026 at 1/52-54 Stanley St, Darlinghurst, Sydney.

To mark the anniversary, Behind The Gallery brings together the two definitive photographers of The Strokes, Cody Smyth and Colin Lane, whose combined body of work tells the complete visual story of the band's rise and enduring legacy.

Smyth photographed The Strokes from the beginning as a high school friend of the band, capturing intimate, unguarded moments no outside photographer could access. His work was later compiled in The First Ten Years, the definitive photographic record of the band's formative years. In 2022, Smyth partnered with Behind The Gallery for their debut exhibition, 4 ago years almost to the day, bringing his Strokes photography to fans for the first time in a gallery setting, an event attended by members of the band themselves.

Lane shot the iconic ‘Is This It’ album cover, one of the most recognisable images in 21st-century music, and continued to document the band across subsequent years, building a body of work that spans the full arc of their career.

Together, their photographs offer a rare dual perspective on a band whose cultural impact has only grown with time. A selection of limited-edition archival prints, including the rare album artwork, will be available for purchase, each signed by both photographers.

The exhibition will be brought to life through immersive sound, with Marshall’s Bromley party speakers filling the space with The Strokes’ Is This It, accompanied by on-board dynamic lighting effects that move with the music. Complementing the experience, Marshall’s newly launched Homeline IV collection, featuring the next-generation Acton IV and Stanmore IV speakers, will be showcased. These new releases from Marshall feature powerful room-filling sound, integrated Auracast™ technology and a refined evolution of the brand’s iconic design.

Reflecting on the exhibition, Cody Smyth said" that feeling of looking through the lens and knowing as soon as the shutter snaps that you've got it. Then Nick says, 'Come with us' to Philly. I figured, why not? Youth is a hell of a thing. The invincibility and possibilities that we only wish as adults we could recapture. The city felt like it was ours and we thought it would be forever - a testament to how friends can survive NYC, youth, life, art and rock 'n' roll."

Colin Lane added: "In January 2001 I got an assignment to shoot some band called The Strokes — I'd never heard of them, I was just happy to be shooting for The Face. We had a few beers at my apartment, then ended up on the roof of the Lincoln Building, 57 floors up, the Empire State Building lighting up behind them, it was just perfect. To this day I'm convinced that slightly illegal excursion is why they asked me to shoot the press photos for Is This It. I'm so happy to be sharing this exhibition with my friend Cody Smyth,  who got there before me! Between the two of us we probably have 90% of the best stuff ever shot on The Strokes. Long live The Strokes.

Stephen Dallimore, Creative Director of Behind The Gallery, said: "Twenty-five years on, Is This It still sounds like nothing else, and these photographs capture exactly why. Cody and Colin between them have documented The Strokes more completely than anyone, and bringing their work together in one room, for one night, feels like the right way to mark this anniversary. We're proud to present this alongside Marshall, whose presence in the gallery will bring the music to life in a way that's entirely fitting for an exhibition about one of New York's and music's great bands."

Jaclyn Williams, Marketing Manager – Oceania, said: “Marshall is proud to partner with Behind the Gallery for this special one-night celebration of The Strokes and their landmark debut, Is This It. Bringing together iconic photography and immersive sound through our Bromley party speakers, alongside the Homeline IV range presented within the space, this exhibition brings music and imagery together to honour a defining era in modern rock”

All attendees will be entered into a prize draw to win a signed print of The Strokes and Marshall Stanmore IV speaker. Places are strictly limited. Fans can register at https://www.behindthegallery.com.au/pages/the-strokes-is-this-it-25the-anniversary-celebration.

About us:

About Cody Smyth

Cody Smyth is a New York-based photographer who captured The Strokes at the very beginning of their rise, the dingy rehearsal rooms, street corners and backstage corridors of early 2000s New York that formed the backdrop to one of rock's most celebrated debuts. His photographs from 2001 to 2006 offer an intimate document of the band before and after their breakthrough, shot with the candid access of a genuine insider.

Beyond The Strokes, Smyth has photographed a diverse range of artists including Dave Gahan of Depeche Mode and Alicia Keys, bringing the same instinct for authentic, unguarded portraiture to each subject.

All prints are hand-signed archival limited editions, printed to museum-quality standards via Behind The Gallery

About Colin Lane

Colin Lane is a New York-born photographer whose career was transformed by a chance encounter with an unsigned band in January 2001. Invited to photograph The Strokes before anyone knew their name, Lane led the session from his apartment to the rooftops of Manhattan, with the Empire State Building and Twin Towers as backdrop, in what would become one of music photography's most storied shoots.

The image he almost didn't include — the now-iconic "Ass Shot" — was chosen as the album cover for Is This It, catapulting both the band and Lane into the cultural conversation.

Trained in film production at the University of Texas at Austin under fine art photographers Lawrence McFarland and Mark Goodman, Lane built his career across New York and London, shooting for i-D and The Face and collaborating with artists including Kings of Leon, Pharrell Williams, Beck, The Black Keys and Iggy Pop. He is currently archiving his extensive collection of Strokes negatives for an upcoming book.

 

 

 

About Behind The Gallery

Behind The Gallery is a pop-up gallery experience revolutionising the way art exhibitions are experienced. With a focus on fine art music photography and popular culture, the gallery curates exclusive exhibitions celebrating the people and moments shaping modern music history.

Past exhibitions include a collaboration with Nine Inch Nails for The Downward Spiral 30th Anniversary, a collaboration with Yungblud's & Tom Pallant, Oasis: Definitely Maybe, Cody Smyth's images of The Strokes, Charles Moriarty's collection of Amy Winehouse, Dave Brown's Mighty Boosh behind-the-scenes showcase Behind The Boosh, Scarlet Page's 30 (held in London), and, most recently, Ross Halfin's collection of The Black Crowes.

 

About Marshall

Marshall is the iconic music brand born in London in 1962, when Jim Marshall began building amplifiers for the guitarists shaping rock and roll — a legacy carried by artists from Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton to today's greatest acts. That same spirit now lives across Marshall's range of speakers, headphones and home audio, including the Bromley and Homeline collections, bringing six decades of sound heritage into everyday life.

Contact details:

 

For further information visit: behindthegallery.com.au

MEDIA ASSETS

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For media requests and interview opportunities with Cody Smyth & Colin Lane please contact:

Stephen Dallimore

[email protected]