If I’d never met Steve Byrne, I’m not sure my tattooing would look the way it does today, if I’d be tattooing at all.

Steve was my introduction to the world of tattooers who care about the way their tattoos look. The tattooers who care about the history and the future of tattooing. Steve also was responsible for introducing me to tattooers who would later work at Frith Street and become colleagues and friends. Steve put my name forward when Dante wanted a new tattooer at Frith Street in 2007.

Without Steve I wouldn’t be working at Frith Street. I owe a lot to this man. Because we are both Northern Englishmen, we’re uncomfortable with sharing emotions but he knows that I’m grateful and I’m sure he knows that I’ll always have affection for him and his tattooing.

I managed to catch a few minutes with him in his hotel room after the amazing Bay Area Tattoo Convention, at SFO in October 2013.
In this clip he shares some of his early memories of Frith Street Tattoo, talks about FST’s position in the world of tattooing, the efforts and rewards within tattooing and a message for the crew and Dante.

Thanks Steve.

You can see some of Steve’s work here: rockofagestattoo.com