This Summer, Portsmouth Guildhall plays host to an exhibition by Pie & Vinyl of framed works of contemporary studios from all over the world: North, Central and South America, Europe and across the UK. The gig-poster as a medium has changed over the years. From letter-pressed bills listing performers much like boxing match promotionals, to lithographed variety show paste-ups, to screen-printed works of dazzling psychedelia, the roots of the gig-poster lie in advertising – tantalising and bold they fought for your attention, with the sole goal of securing ticket sales. Punk then tore up the rules with the xerox and ransom note collage and with the economy of modern reproduction techniques came a slide in the craft of the poster, if not in their “collectability”…

…fast forward a decade or more and poster design and production began to cater for the collector – many contemporary studios design work with the goal of creating a popular culture artefact, a memento of a time and its sound and the scene growing from it – something to be taken home and treasured.

The Pie & Vinyl Poster Show in both the Cafe and the Zodiac Gallery contains work including numerous styles, techniques, colours and themes and was curated by Petting Zoo. The posters are on display now and runs until Tuesday 29th September, access is during the normal Guildhall opening hours and is free.

Some of the posters are from private collections but many of the framed exhibition prints are available for sale (via the Guildhall Box Office, collection once the exhibition has finished). Pie & Vinyl are also selling multiples from their shop.

Tomorrow sees the special opening event, open to all, from 7pm to 8:30pm. Pie & Vinyl will be DJing too! Cash bar available.