Radio Free Alice, Self-Titled Vinyl EP Featuring Matthew Murray's The Red Pants Photograph

Murray, Matthew ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8956-8062 (2023) Radio Free Alice, Self-Titled Vinyl EP Featuring Matthew Murray's The Red Pants Photograph. [Artefact]

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Image (ARTWORK Photograph for Radio Free Alice EP Release) Screenshot 2026-10-30 at 12.25.36.png - Published Version Available under License All Rights Reserved. Download (3MB) | Preview

Abstract

The relationship between photography and music culture creates a fertile space where visual imagery can shape and extend artistic identity. The Red Pants by Matthew Murray, selected as the cover image for the self-titled EP by Melbourne-based post-punk band Radio Free Alice, exemplifies the enduring dialogue between contemporary photographic practice and independent music production. Characterised by its distinctive visual language, the photograph establishes an atmosphere of ambiguity and tension that resonates with the band's aesthetic and sonic approach. The image's selection carries a distinctive personal narrative. The Red Pants was acquired by the parents of Noah Learmonth, lead vocalist of Radio Free Alice, during the period when Murray was represented by The Photographers' Gallery, London. Hung prominently in the family home in Sydney, the photograph became a familiar presence throughout Learmonth's childhood and adolescence. Encountering the image almost daily, he developed a lasting connection with the work, which ultimately informed its selection as the visual identity for the band's debut release. This repository entry examines how the photograph moved from a fine art context into contemporary music, exploring how personal memory, collecting practices, and visual culture intersect in creative production. The case demonstrates how photographic works can accumulate layered meanings over time, moving beyond their original exhibition and collecting contexts to become embedded within new cultural narratives. Through its adoption as album artwork, The Red Pants functions not only as a promotional image but also as a symbol of personal history, artistic influence, and creative continuity. By documenting the image's provenance and its role in contemporary music culture, this project contributes to broader discussions of photographic authorship, image circulation, cultural memory, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The use of The Red Pants illustrates how photographic images can transcend their original context, acquiring new significance through their reinterpretation and dissemination across different cultural forms.

Item Type:	Artefact
Additional Information:	Vinyl Records, Post-punk, melodic post-punk, new wave, and indie rock
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Album artwork, Album,
Related URLs:	Organisation Organisation Organisation
Subjects:	N Fine Arts > N Visual arts (General) For photography, see TR N Fine Arts > NE Print media N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general T Technology > TR Photography
Divisions:	Schools and Research Institutes > School of Arts, Culture and Environment
Depositing User:	Matthew Murray
Date Deposited:	02 Nov 2026 10:21
Last Modified:	02 Nov 2026 10:21
URI:	https://eprints.glos.ac.uk/id/eprint/16616

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