X-Press Magazine celebrates 41 Years on the Streets with State Library exhibition

The official opening of X-Press Magazine: 41 Years on the Streets will feature a panel conversation with ARIA-nominated WA musician Abbe May, X-Press Magazine’s longest-serving editor Bob Gordon, current editor Brayden Edwards, founder and former owner of X-Press Joe Cipriani, and long-serving X-Press Magazine and WA photographer Toni Wilkinson. The panel will be moderated by State Library of Western Australia Manager Engagement and Creative Programs David Craddock and will involve discussions of rock ‘n’ roll and print journalism and reflect on the changing tides of fashion, media and pop culture in Perth. The evening will also include musical interludes from Abbe May.

Beginning as a small guide to Perth’s nightlife first printed on June 21, 1985, X-Press Magazine grew to become a highly influential publication for all things music, art, fashion, food and drink in Perth. Curated by former X-Press editor Bob Gordon and presented with the support of Vanguard Media Group and X-Press Magazine, the exhibition reflects on the magazine’s cultural impact and legacy.

The State Library exhibition follows on from the release of Rewind – 40 Years of X-Press Magazine, a 200-page coffee table book written by Bob Gordon which was released in March. The book was made possible after X-Press opened the vaults and digitised more than 1,500 print editions, bringing the gigs, artists and stories that shaped Western Australia’s vibrant arts culture into a new era.

X-Press Magazine: 41 Years on the Streets is free to attend and showing from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, September 6, 2026. For more information, head to slwa.wa.gov.au. The panel conversation takes place at the State Library of Western Australia on Friday, June 19. Register for your free ticket at eventbrite.com.au