“Queen uncovered”, the unpublished photographs. Gallery

For eleven years the photographer and writer Peter Hince lived his very personal dream: Queen's head roadie, he had free access to the backstage of some of the most important moments in the band's history, always alongside the British band while Freddy Mercury and his companions recorded and they went on tour around the world.

“Queen Uncovered”, Peter Hince's book, is now also available in Italian with a translation by Simona Garavelli, and brings together an extraordinary archive of private photographs and rarities, largely unpublished, enriched by the author's personal memories.

The book, published by Il Castello, is also present in the bookshop of QUEEN UNSEEN – the most important exhibition on Queen set up in Italy – currently underway in Milan at the Luciana Matalon Foundation (Foro Buonaparte 67) and scheduled until May 5, 2024.

Below, courtesy of the publisher, the preface of the book and a gallery of images taken from the volume

This book is neither a definitive collection nor a chronological account of Queen's photographic history: I simply don't have the necessary material. Just as no photographer could have it.
What I am lucky enough to have are a unique photographic documentation and the wealth of experiences acquired while living in the rock scene of the 70s and 80s. For eleven years I worked as a roadie and crew chief alongside one of the greatest rock groups the world has ever known.
I wasn't Queen's “official photographer”.

But photography, in which I have always had a keen interest, over time became a passion, and the career I undertook after leaving Queen at the end of the Magic Tour in 1986.
In those glory years with Queen I was in a privileged and unrivaled position. Thanks to the trust that the band placed in me I was able to capture unique and exclusive images.
You could define me as lucky, but in life I have discovered that the more you work hard, apply yourself and know how to seize every opportunity… the more luck smiles on you.
Here I share my journey through that season through photographs of Queen and images that bear witness to their era. Accompanied by an assortment of never-reprinted memorabilia, cards and postcards, it is a visual portrait of life with Queen.
The volume contains preview images and testimonials from my archive, along with more well-known images but
taken from different angles.
I hope you enjoy the journey you are about to embark on.
Peter Hince

A recording at The Manor Studio

Brian, with his homemade Red Special guitar, turns his gaze to the control room

Scenes from the production of the controversial video for “I Want To Break Free”.

In Munich, in a beer garden. Brian holds one of his collectible stereo cameras.

Roger has my Hasselblad 500 CM camera.

“I was taking some shots of the band for the Japanese magazine 'Music Life' and placing them in the corridor in front of Musicland. After doing a few pretty standard ones on paper backgrounds, Fred said, 'Come on, I want you to make me look mean and tough.' He moved to a rougher wall and I changed the lighting. Fred was playing the role of “tough guy” when suddenly he lowered his head as if contemplating something. I took it, and it's one of my favorite images of him. He looks vulnerable, despite the leather jacket and the rather phallic way in which he holds the bottle.”

The full band, late 70s.

Peter Hince