Some photographs capture a moment in music history before anyone realizes how important that moment will become.
For Dire Straits fans, a series of rare black-and-white photographs from Tramshed in Woolwich, London, offers exactly that kind of glimpse.
Taken on August 2, 1977, the images show Mark Knopfler, David Knopfler, John Illsley, and Pick Withers during one of the earliest chapters of the band’s career.
At this point, Dire Straits were still a young London band. Their debut album had not been recorded, “Sultans of Swing” was not yet a worldwide hit, and Mark Knopfler’s famous red Stratocaster had not yet become part of rock history.
Dire Straits in the Summer of 1977
The summer of 1977 was a crucial period for the future Dire Straits. The band had performed its first show together on June 26, 1977, at Farrer House, Crossfields Estate, in Deptford. The group then returned to the stage at the Albany Empire in Deptford on July 2 and July 28, 1977.
Just a few days later, on August 2, 1977, Dire Straits performed at the Tramshed in Woolwich. These early gigs took place long before the band became internationally famous.
They show four musicians developing the sound that would eventually take them from small London venues to some of the biggest stages in the world. Interestingly, the group was still closely connected with its earlier identity as the Café Racers during this formative period.
Mark Knopfler and His 1961 Fender Stratocaster
The most fascinating detail for guitar fans is Mark Knopfler’s guitar. At the Tramshed performance, Knopfler can be seen playing his 1961 Fender Stratocaster, but the instrument still has its natural finish.
This is particularly significant because the guitar would later become famous in its red finish.
According to research into Knopfler’s early instruments, the Stratocaster was painted red by his friend Steve Phillips during the summer of 1978. That means these Tramshed photographs preserve the guitar before one of its most recognizable transformations.
In other words, we are looking at the guitar that would later become strongly associated with the early Dire Straits sound — before it became the famous red Strat.
What Was Mark Playing Before the Stratocaster?
The timeline becomes even more interesting when looking at Dire Straits’ earliest performances.
At the band’s first performance on June 26, 1977, Mark appears to have been using a Gibson Les Paul Special, an instrument associated with his earlier Café Racers period.
The National steel guitar was also part of his early setup, while David Knopfler played a Telecaster Thinline.
This means that Mark’s transition to the 1961 Stratocaster happened very quickly during the summer of 1977. There is still some uncertainty about the exact date when he acquired the Stratocaster.
However, the evidence indicates that he had obtained it by July 1977, because a Stratocaster was used during the recording of the band’s early demos on July 27.
The Tramshed photographs therefore provide an important visual link between those early experiments and the sound that would soon define Dire Straits.
The Early Songs of Dire Straits
The band’s earliest setlists reveal just how much material Mark Knopfler had already developed before Dire Straits became famous.
At the first June 1977 performance, the band reportedly played a set lasting around half an hour.
The songs included:
- “Sultans of Swing”
- “Down to the Waterline”
- “Southbound Again”
- “In the Gallery”
- “Wild West End”
- Two songs by Ry Cooder
- “Sweet Nothings” by Brenda Lee
One particularly interesting detail concerns “Wild West End.”
During the earliest performances, Knopfler played the characteristic rhythm part on his National steel guitar using an open tuning. Later, the arrangement evolved, with Mark playing the lead part on Stratocaster while David Knopfler handled the rhythm guitar on his Telecaster Thinline.
That setup would eventually become an important part of the band’s distinctive sound.
The Stratocaster Before It Became Red
For collectors and guitar historians, the natural-finish Stratocaster may be the most exciting part of these photographs.
Mark Knopfler’s 1961 Stratocaster became one of the defining instruments of the early Dire Straits period. It was closely associated with the development of “Sultans of Swing” and the band’s debut recordings.
But the Tramshed photographs show something rarely seen: the instrument before the red finish.
That makes the images valuable not only as early photographs of Dire Straits, but also as a visual record of the evolution of one of Mark Knopfler’s most important guitars.
David Knopfler, John Illsley and Pick Withers
The other members of the early lineup are equally interesting. David Knopfler can be seen playing his Telecaster Thinline, an instrument that would become an important part of the band’s early two-guitar arrangement.
John Illsley was already moving toward the Fender Precision Bass that would become strongly associated with his Dire Straits career.
Earlier photographs from September 1977 show Illsley using a different bass, making these early images useful for following the evolution of the band’s equipment.
Behind the kit was Pick Withers, whose drumming provided the foundation for the band’s developing sound.
At this stage, Pick had not yet adopted the black Eddie Ryan drum kit that fans would later associate with him.
A Band Still at the Beginning
What makes the Tramshed photographs so special is not simply the rarity of the images. It is what they represent.
In August 1977, Dire Straits were still playing small London venues. They had no idea that within months they would record the demos that would attract the attention of radio presenter Charlie Gillett, leading eventually to their record deal.
They were still experimenting with guitars, arrangements, and equipment.
Mark Knopfler was still developing the sound that would make him one of the most recognizable guitarists in rock history.
A Time-Travel Photograph for Dire Straits Fans
Looking at these photographs today feels almost like opening a window into another room.
You can see the young Mark Knopfler with the natural-finish Stratocaster. You can see David with his Telecaster Thinline, John with his bass, and Pick behind the drums.
There are no stadium lights, no massive production, and no worldwide fame. Just four musicians at the beginning of an extraordinary journey.
For Dire Straits fans, that is exactly what makes the August 2, 1977 Tramshed photographs so fascinating.
They capture Dire Straits before the red Stratocaster, before the debut album, and before the world discovered “Sultans of Swing” — at the moment when the story was only beginning.
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