rewind

by Soulla Petrou

Rewind is a photobook by award-winning photographer Soulla Petrou, showcasing 15 years of work in the UK music scene from 1994 to 2009. Shot mainly on film, it captures the raw energy of a defining era in club and youth culture.

Petrou’s images mix portraiture, performance, and candid dancefloor moments. Known for her playful, creative approach, she collaborated with both emerging and established artists while contributing to leading publications including Mixmag, The Face, DJ, Muzik, NME, and Defected Records.

The book features portraits of Geri Halliwell before the Spice Girls, Goldie and General Levy during the drum and bass boom, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Fatboy Slim, So Solid Crew, and Damon Albarn with Blur. It also includes spontaneous and personal moments, from Travis on Petrou’s kitchen table to Supergrass pretending to fall out of a plane, and Sweet 75 (Nirvana’s Krist Novoselic’s band) in Seattle.

“Editing the images prompted me to ‘Rewind’ the memories of those shoots,” says Soulla. “Reliving those happy moments kept me sane during the pandemic.”

Rewind is both a celebration of Petrou’s early career and a tribute to the legacy of British dance music.

About The Artist

Soulla Petrou is a London-based photographer whose 30-year career spans portraiture, music, fashion, and beauty. Born in Leeds to Greek Cypriot parents, she studied Fashion at Middlesex University before taking photography night classes at St Martin’s School of Art.

Largely self-taught, her work has been widely published and recognised with awards including a Fuji Distinction Award and third prize in the International Photography Awards. She was featured in The World’s Top Photographers: Celebrity & Performance (Rotovision, 2009).

Her portraits will appear in the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize at the National Portrait Gallery (Nov 2025), and her work has been acquired by the V&A for its permanent collection, with an exhibition planned for Spring 2026.

Soulla Petrou