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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders both past and present.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander viewers are warned that this website contains images of deceased persons.

‘Never break this heart of stone’

Hundreds of screaming teenage girls descended on Sydney airport to greet the Rolling Stones in 1965. Some had slept out overnight; several were injured. ‘It was worth it – I got to touch him!’, one fervently declared.

1 Rolling Stones fans, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2000). 2 Mick Jagger, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2000). 3 Mick Jagger, Sydney, 1965 (printed 2000). All David Moore. © Lisa, Michael, Matthew and Joshua Moore http://davidmoorephotography.com.au/

Not everyone was pleased when British band The Rolling Stones arrived in Australia in early 1965. The Sydney Morning Herald declared they had ‘Ugly Looks, Ugly Speech, Ugly Manners’. Perhaps unsurprisingly, such claims did little to disperse the hoards of fans who followed the tour. The aftermath of their concerts was a tableau of broken gates and fainting girls, a consequence of the mass hysteria their presence inspired. In these portraits, renowned Sydney photographer David Moore captures both the sloppy, understated style the group cultivated – as modelled by frontman Mick Jagger – and the maniacal ardour aroused in the Stones’ young fans.

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The National Portrait Gallery acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuing connection to lands, waters and communities. We pay our respect to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and to Elders past and present. We respectfully advise that this site includes works by, images of, names of, voices of and references to deceased people.

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