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To Evelyn is a glorious tribute to the stars of a Yorkshire working men's club and the woman who idolised them

The ’90s are pretty trendy now – look around and marvel at the plethora of Kappa, Ellesse, bumbags, the return of the Spice Girls; and the graphic designers’ love of post-ironic MS Paint lookalikes.

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Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist.

Via Creative Boom submission. All images courtesy of the artist.

Like any form of nostalgia that’s most readily co-opted by those too young to remember it the first time around, it’s easy to forget the less, well, cool side of things.

Here to remind us of the crispy perms and greased back curtains that sat atop the heads of ’90s-folk is a superb new book from London-based graphic design studio Patrick Fry. Entitled To Evelyn, Posters from the Stars, the book draws together a collection of posters promoting local entertainers at a working men’s club in a small Yorkshire pit village.

“Originally collected in the 1990s by local personality Evelyn Short and now assembled by her grandson David, the posters are a celebration of a bygone era,” Fry explains.

“Pre-internet and social media, this was one of the few ways to create another you, presenting an identity far removed from the day to day. The book explores national identity and sense of self, reminding us that with the right imagination we can transform into anyone or anything. The posters, many signed ‘To Evelyn’ celebrate those identities, the weekend superstars, in all their glory.”

The images are absolutely brilliant; and if the likes of Pink Gin, resplendent in pleather against a shimmering purple backdrop, don’t make you smile, perhaps nothing will. The book is published by CentreCentre.

We previously covered Fry’s work when he created a beautiful book celebrating the unappreciated designs of the humble brick.

Dark navy hardcover book titled "To Evelyn" with handwritten text on the cover and "Posters from the Stars" printed on the spine
Open book showing a spread with portrait photographs of entertainers and typography reading "MITZIKATZ" from To Evelyn, Posters from the Stars
Open book displaying two signed promotional posters of 1990s entertainers from a Yorkshire working men's club, collected by Evelyn Short
Open book showing a poster spread from To Evelyn featuring performers in red and black styling from a Yorkshire working men's club
Open book showing promotional posters of performers from a Yorkshire working men's club, including portraits of Stu Ryder and Johnathan Peters from the 1990s
Two men in red and green jackets pose together against a blue background, one holding a guitar, with handwritten signatures visible on their clothing
Woman with voluminous reddish-brown curly hair wearing a black sequinned top, smiling at the camera against a red background with "JO-ANN'S" text and a handwritten inscription
Two performers in black clothing pose together against a pink and red gradient backdrop, holding hands in front of a decorative trunk, with "KIND A MAGIC" text down the left side
Pink Gin duo posed against purple backdrop, man in black holding keyboard and woman in black pleather outfit seated on stool, with "Pink Gin" text and management contact details
Two of Diamonds promotional poster featuring two women with feathered hair against a black background, text in yellow at top
Man wearing glasses and woman with short reddish hair posing with electric guitar on black background, from Faces at the Window poster collection
Vintage poster for Jimmy King featuring two portrait photographs of a man in glasses, one wearing blue and one wearing grey, with handwritten signatures and a telephone number, dated October 1995
Performer in pink jacket posed against blue backdrop with radiating light effects and the name Traci Lane in gold text
Dark navy book cover with white speckled texture and white handwritten text reading "To Evelyn
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