Getting a glimpse of backstage action

Fans crave access: that's one of the first truths of rock n roll,

. Give a ticket holder the choice between front row seats or 10 minutes backstage and they'll be at the stage door before you can say 'I didn't know they wanted 10,000 blue Smarties and a Spanish dwarf on their rider'.

The desire to be in places that others can't reach is overwhelming, although it's largely based on two things: popular myth and exclusivity.

The myths surrounding back stage antics and rock n roll behaviour are legion. Groupies, drugs, salacious behaviour and requests that are just plain odd are what most people imagine bands doing behind the privacy of their dressing room door. And yet the reverse is often true.

Bands are professional musicians, playing music is what they do for a living and they take it very seriously. Amid the Xboxes, guitar cases, DVDs and occasional bottle of Jack Daniels, you're more likely to find a group of guys sitting around writing songs or rehearsing, than anything else.

Imagining musicians resort to lowest common denominator behaviour is a bit like picturing a group of office workers arriving to floor 13, knocking their PCs off the desk and starting a game of murderball.

Green rooms are unlikely to be filled with bowls of devil's dandruff – they're far more likely to be stocked with bowls of fresh fruit.

Yes, there'll be take away cartons, cans of beer and a few bottles of harder stuff for some, but by and large musicians are well-meaning and well-behaved. You might even want to take some of them home to meet your mother. And a few fans have tried that.

Exclusivity is another magnetic quality of rock'n'roll dressing rooms. All fans want to be special, they want their relationship with a band to be more important than the relationship that other fans have.

Here at the Civic Halls, we're planning something a little special. In the New Year – yes, I know, we haven't even got through the summer festival season yet, but it pays to plan ahead – we hope to launch a new exhibition of rock photography.

During the remainder of 2011, we'll be offering exclusive back stage to a renowned rock photographer, whose work will then go on public display. She'll be capturing the candid, offstage moments that fans so rarely get to see. There may be a few shots of bands enjoying shots of JD, there may even be one or two of bands going at each other like Mayweather and Pacquiao; but by and large you'll see musicians writing, talking, playing, laughing – enjoying the fact they're not working in offices.

We're spending so long on the project because we want to get it right: it's our way of fans the one thing they all crave – a back stage pass.