Kabir and Malcolm (formerly of Run Don't Walk), together with drummer Brandon, have formed a new band, The Silver Bayonets.
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Last time I shot Oxford band A Silent Film was 2 years ago when they came back from America (where they are spending most of their time) to grace the stage of The Borderline. This time they filled out The Barfly and it was magical!
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Back in June I shot Bleech's album launch gig at The Borderline for The Girls Are... It was hot, it was sweaty and I walked out with a migraine from hell! This should in no way reflect badly on the band, I have been suffering from migraines since I was 7 years old, this one just hit me at a really bad time.
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Remember Kolo, the band I did a promo shoot with in the shower cubicles of an abandoned school? Anyway, I went to shoot their gig at the Dublin Castle in May.
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I have to do some serious catching up, I haven't written a Blog or uploaded anything in 3 month. The gig that zapped me of all my will was Zoetrope at The Buffalo Bar, which I was suppose to shoot for The Girls Are... I was suppose to do a couple of portraits as well as shoot their gig for publication, so I got there a bit earlier, met and hang out with the band for a while and looked for a suitable place to try for some portraits. I got the band to sit down, got my camera out and switched it on. Well, I tried to switch it on but nothing happened. Then it dawned on me, I had left my battery in the charger at home. In 4 years of shooting, this had never happened to me before and I was not happy. As luck would have it, I knew that Neil was coming to the gig, who shoots with the same camera as me. The band texted him for me asking if he'd be able to lend me a spare battery. Thank you very much to him for saving the day! But the disaster of an evening didn't stop there, oh no! The night was running so late, that by the time Zoetrope took to the stage, I had just about time to shoot 2 songs before I had to run out to catch my last train. Since then, I have been shooting very little and had no desire to share any pictures online but I guess I'm over it now :) .
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Ex Run Don't Walk front man Kabir has joined 50ft Woman as a guitar player, so I went along to their gig at The Workshop and took some live pictures of their new line-up.
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I went to shoot Those Darlings for More Than The Music last month but all sorts of excuses got in the way and stopped me from uploading the shots :$ . Anyway, I seem to be spending a lot of time at The Lexington and my love/hate relationship with the venue continues. This time, the lights weren't to bad at all and I very much enjoyed Those Darlings; great fun to shoot!
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Robots in Disguise were the headlining band at The Lexington and the gig was billed to be their last ever show. As it turned out, someone misunderstood a text that said "Robots in Disguise latest gig... Doh! The gig was sold out and I had no room to move, so I was hoping I had picked a good enough spot. It wasn't perfect but it wasn't disastrous either. I had heard of the band before (apparently they have been going for 10 years!) but never heard any of their music, somehow I expected them to be a hip indie band. Oh was I wrong! Instead I got 3 piece, all girl band, electro/punk fun! I really enjoyed shooting Robots in Disguise and they made it quite easy to get lots of great shots, it's quite hard to select only a handful.
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I went to The Lexington to shoot The Voyeurist and Robots in Disguise for The Girls Are... I have seen and photographed The Voyeurist before and know that they like to play in almost complete darkness, so I got my 50mm 1.4 out and bumped the ISO to 6400. As soon as the band took to the stage, the lights went dark, apart from the reds :S .
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I went to The Lexington again last week (this time with my 50mm 1.4!) and I fell in love with the Cut Ribbons, who where the first band on stage. Great songs, melodies and harmonies what more do you need?! As for the lights, this time there was lots of blue. And smoke. One day! One day I get a nice mix at The Lexington!
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I went to The Lexington to shoot Lay Low for The Girls Are... aaaaaaaages ago. I kind of forgot to upload them though, sorry :$ . Icelandic folk isn't really my sort of thing but Lay Low (aka Lovisa Elisabet Sigrunardottir) was quite sweet and endearing. Hmmm... doesn't make it sound great, does it? It was alright really, it's just that I prefer my music with a bit more... umpf. As for the venue and the lights (here we go again), it was super red and I have made a mental not to pack my 50mm 1.4 next time I got to The Lexington!
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I had some great fun with Kolo yesterday afternoon at an unused school in Brixton. I know two of the members from a previous band but know nothing else about this new band. With no plan but a whole school to play with we just went for it.
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Happy New Year to you all! I started 2012 off with a gig at The Old Blue Last last night. I saw Fanzine supporting Yuck last year (same management, I believe) and quite liked them and if you like Teenage Fanclub, you'll like them too. The Old Blue Last had a bit of a make over, they have moved the bar to the back of the venue to create a bit more space but there seem to be even less lights as there where before; one blue-ish coloured LED to the right of the stage and one red one to the left. Even with the Nikon D700 on ISO 64000 it was pointless trying to get any shoots. Need to remember bringing the 500mm 1.4 next time and possibly the flash too :( .
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I went to Little Fish' single launch gig at the Barfly on Monday. It was great to see the band play again, though I will miss Neil, one of the best drummers I have ever seen! The band keep it interesting though, inviting some of their friends on stage to play keyboards, sing and even play the saw with them!
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The last time I saw Life in Film was in November last year, just after they had a 2 1/2 line mention in the NME. Since then the band have done a couple of small tours and supported some hip, up and coming bands all over the UK. It was great to see the band play to a packed out venue last night!
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I went to Bush Hall on Thursday to shoot Danny And The Champions Of The World for More Then The Music. Bush Hall doesn't have a pit, so I made sure I was there early enough to make it to the front of the stage to secure a good shooting position. It turned out that the gig wasn't sold out and that I was probably one of the youngest people in there. By a long way! A lot of posing from Danny made it fun to shoot the band, who were a bit American rock, in the vein of Bruce Springsteen. All in all, not a bad gig at all.
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I went to the Lexington a couple of weeks ago to see and photograph Screaming Females again. What an amazing band! And they were even better second time around!
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I went to Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen on Tuesday to shoot Other Lives for More Than The Music. Turns out, my name wasn't on the list. No problem, I have a confirmation email. The girl at the door makes me scroll though the entire conversation, to find my name, just to tell me that she doesn't know the PR guy for Other Lives, so she won't let me in. WTF?! You telling me you know EVERY PR person of EVERY band that EVER plays at that venue?! After some back and forth, Other Lives' tour manager comes out and tells me to walk right in. Thank you very much to him for being so easy about it. I don't really like Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen as a venue to shoot in; the stage is quite high, the lights are poor and they have this stupid spinning disco ball on the ceiling that reflects lights onto the walls and floor, which makes the room look like it's spinning. As well as all that, the 5 piece band have more instruments on stage then the average person can name, making taking pictures rather difficult. The only way I could get a clear view, was from either the right or left hand side of the stage when I moved a couple of steps up the stairs leading up the stage.
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On Saturday I went to Leicester Square to see Run Don't Walk play the Comedy (Pub). Warren, their drummer was working, so a Marc, a good friend of the band, stepped in. With only one rehearsal before the gig, he did incredibly well. The lights at this downstairs venue are rubbish! But there wasn't a single red spotlight anywhere! Wooohoo! It was lovely to see photographer Neil at the gig as well. Check out his great pictures of the night on his website (http://www.wildblanket.com/Bands/RunDontWalk/Comedy/Page.html )!
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I went to Ronnie Scott's last week for the first time to shoot Scoundrels for More Then The Music. It's not often that I take on a gig without knowing anything about a band but I was feeling brave and Ronnie Scott's is a legendary venue. When I got to the upstairs room at the venue it was almost impossible to move, the small room was stuffed full with hot, sweaty bodies. Something rather awful was playing on stage, so I tried to make my way to the bar first before trying to get closer to the "stage. Yes, I am using the term stage loosely there, the bands just set up in a little corner of the room and there were no lights. When the Scoundrels started setting up, I was able to get to the front, got my camera out and went straight to ISO 6400, which for the D700 isn't a problem at all!
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I do love Secret Cinema but why oh why do they insist on playing battle of the bands type competitions to get themselves onto festivals?! This particular one was to play a festival in Canada, of all places! Unsurprisingly they won this competition (I saw 2 bands playing before Secret Cinema took to the stage; dreadful!) and are off to Canada at the end of September. As for Hoxten Cell, it's another shitty basement venue with no lights in trendy Hoxton. At least it wasn't red though!
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I'M BACK!!! After having all my camera gear stolen in a burglary at the beginning of the month, I finally have all my stuff replaced and am able to go shoot again. As part of the insurance payout for all my Sony gear, I was also able to extent my Nikon kit and am now the proud owner of a Nikkor 14 - 24 2.8 and a Nikkor 24 - 70 2.8. Knowing the stage at 93 Feet East very well, I knew that the 24 - 70 was going to be perfect. But why is it, that since I have switched to Nikon, every gig has been super red :( ?!
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I was at XOYO to photograph headliners Crystal Stilts and I don't know what put me more off, the fact the singer kept rolling his eyes back all the time or that they played in almost complete darkness. I left before the end of their set!
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The main support at XOYO on Monday was 1990s and I enjoyed them immensely! I totally forgot that I owned their debut album "Cookie" at one point. If you don't know them, look up "You Make Me Like It" on Youtube.
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I took my D700 to XOYO on Monday night. The venue is usually sold out and doesn't have a pit, which means; turn up early, secure your spot AND DON'T MOVE! What has Monday night taught me? I'm already lusting for a wide angle lens :( . Nikkor 14-24mm 2.8 anyone? Seeing as I was there for doors, I took pictures of all the bands. First up Still Corners, who were a bit dull but the guitar player made some interesting sounds.
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Second gig with my new D700 and it was super red again. I bumped the ISO to 4000 so I can keep the shutter fast, as I know that Run Don't Walk play a high energy set and there is a lot of moving and jumping around.
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My first gig with my new camera! I knew this would be a really good test for the D700, as Secret Cinema like to play in almost complete darkness, so the visuals they use stand out more. Not just was there very little light, but that light was exclusively red. I bumped the ISO up to 3200 and went for it.
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Since my last attempt at taking some live pictures (which was such a disaster), I haven't been to any gigs at all. Told you I was a broken woman when I left the last venue! I finally braved the live scene again on Tuesday to see Exotica take on the Dublin Castle. I knew what to expect and I wasn't disappointed, the lights at the venue are still rubbish! Exotica where great though and it was generally a great night out.
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I went to the Scala to see Howling Bells last week. As soon as I walked into the venue, my heart sunk! No pit and 3 rows of photographers all 6 foot something tall. I moved to the side, shot my 3 allocated songs and walked out a broken woman.
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When I went to see Exotica play at the Bull and Gate, they had a SPECIAL SECRET GUEST on the line-up. Seeing the Hiwatt amps on-stage and bumping into Jen inside the venue after the first act finished, kind of gave the secret away. It was of course Bleech!!!! I'd only seen the band five days earlier, but one can never have to much Bleech!
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I went to see Exotica for the 2nd time in a couple of weeks and this time I brought my camera along.
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I made my way to Holloway Road for the first time since Nambucca re-opened after it had burned down 2 or so years ago. I had been there once before and it was horrible! The venue was full of 14 year olds trying to nick everyone's drink. This time around, the venue was rather empty for a Saturday night and there was not a single 14 year old in sight! I only took a couple of shots, seeing as there where 4 or 5 other photographers there and the lights weren't great either.
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First time I shot a gig in Berlin and to true form, German security is just what you would expect! I have been shooting gigs for 4 years in London and never EVER had a problem with security! They don't "do" photopasses at the Lido and there is no pit but all of a sudden one of the "bouncers" comes up to me and tries to chuck me out. I tell him I have a ticket and he can't just tell me to "get out!". He says: "I had enough of you! Get out!" WTF?! Shame, because other then that it was a great gig. The Thermals played more older stuff and the German crowd lapped it up! Not quite as emphatic as the London audience but there was bouncing and moshing too!
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I went for a weekend trip to Germany to see The Coathangers and The Thermals tour once again at the Lido in Berlin. Told you I loved them! The gig was great but the German crowd seemed a bit more reserved then their London counterparts, but after The Coathhangers' set, they seemed just as blown away as I was when I first saw the band!
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Kurran and the Wolfnotes (well, half of them anyway) supported The Crookes at the Scala a couple of weeks ago. I took some shots to play around with the settings and I got a nice one, so I thought I post it.
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I went to the Scala last week to the Fierce Panda 17th Birthday party gig to take some pictures of The Crookes for More Then The Music. I didn't know much about the band and I was pleasantly surprised; they were not at all what I expected. I don't actually know what I expected, but it wasn't 50s/60s influenced rock n roll! The Scala is a lovely little venue; there is a photo pit, the stage is nice and low and they have lots of colourful lights!
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I have totally fallen in love with The Thermals in the last month! Their last 3 albums are just amazing and I can't stop listening to them. When I got confirmation that I got a pass to shoot them I was ecstatic! Little did I know that this gig would quite possibly change my life! This was by far the maddest, most sweatiest, best gig I have ever had the pleasure of shooting! I got kicked, bashed and pushed but I was more then happy to take all that for having the honor of being right at the front of the stage, camera in hand, watching to one of the best bands around right now!
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I got to the XOYO just as The Coathangers took to the stage. There was even a little gap right at the front of the stage, so I was able to put my bag down, get my camera out in super fast time and start shooting. I didn't know anything about the band, I hadn't even checked out any of their music prior to the gig, so I had no idea what to expect. The all girl group started off civilized enough, punky and shouty, but nothing to mental. Then they started swapping instruments; the guitar player went on drums, the drummer played guitar, then went on to bass and lead vocals. At some point the bass player played drums too. It was all sorts of awesome! By the end of the set The Coathangers had blown my mind!
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I was aware of The History Of Apple Pie for a couple of month now; either Yuck or The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart recommended them and I quite liked them. Sadly I missed most of their set when they supported The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart at the King's Collage Students Union last month, so I just had to take the chance to see them play at The Bull and Gate on Wednesday. I am glad I made the effort and I will certainly be seeing more of them!
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Run Don't Walk yet again! Are you bored of them yet?!
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Peepholes played with The Voyeurist and The Hysterical Injury at The Old Blue Last for The Girls Are...
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The Hysterical Injury played with The Voyeurist at The Old Blue Last for The Girls Are...
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I have been feeling a little under the weather, so I'm a little behind with my editing, sorry! Anyway, I shoot a night put on by The Girls Are.. (for whom I shot a couple of gigs over the last year) at The Old Blue Last last week. First band on was The Voyeurist and I quite liked them. I might be bias though as I know Richard (the guitar player), with whom I have been to a couple of gigs where I was shooting and he wrote the reviews for The Girls Are... website.
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At the beginning of the month I went to see The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart at Kings Collage Students Union for More Then The Music. I love this band! A lot! Their first album is just wonderful! Being such a fan-girl, I wasn't sure if I could contain myself long enough to take a couple of decent pictures. I did OK, I suppose. No pit, strong back-lighting and a lot of dry ice made it a little difficult but hey, I have shot in more difficult environments! What I won't forgive this venue is that it is actually on the 6th floor and you have to get up there via the stairs! SIX FLOORS!!!
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I shot my first ever (proper) gig at the Borderline in May 2007 and a couple of month later I shot Doll and the Kicks there for the first time. Almost 4 years (and many shoots in between) I'm shooting the band at said venue again. Since that first shoot the band have grown into an amazing live band but my love/hate relationship with the Borderline has not changed! I was also surprised to find that I needed a photopass to shoot Doll and the Kicks at the Borderline this time around. Luckily the band knew I was coming to the gig and put me on the guestlist and sorted me out with a pass. Good job too, because I wouldn't have been allowed to take my camera into the venue at all! Thank you very much for that!
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I have a lot of love for Yuck ever since I saw them supporting The Pains of Being Pure at Heart last year. I have seen them on one other occasion when they supported Teenage Fanclub a couple of months later. This time the band are the headliners and are deservingly playing to a sold out venue.
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Cults supported Yuck at Bush Hall (pictures coming soon) and I really enjoyed them. Hopefully they'll come back to London to do some more shows soon!
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Run Don't Walk were brilliant on Thursday night! So much fun! And the new songs are sounding really good too. The Workshop is the downstairs room of the Roadtrip bar on Old Street and is surprisingly nice, they even have good lights!
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Esben and the Witch were the headliners at XOYO on Wednesday night. As I was probably the only photographer there not specifically shooting them, I only took a couple of shots and made room for the other photographers there. I'm nice like that!
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Shot my first gig in almost a year for "More Then The Music" and the first time at XOYO on Wednesday. Different venue, different problems. There was no pit and the bands played in almost complete darkness. Luckily I got there early (to secure a spot at the front), no one complained about the flash going off all the time and I was able to shoot the entire set! Unfortunately the flash helps expose the grottyness of the venue. Swings and roundabouts I guess... Trophy Wife's music isn't usually my cup of tea, but I have to admit, I really enjoyed them! Especially the "drummer"!
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I had an absolute nightmare shooting The Go! Team. The stage at Heaven is almost as high as I am tall and all the lights came from behind the band. Shame really, because The Go! Team put on quite a good show and are a lot of fun.
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Banjo or Freakout where the support for The Go! Team. Pretty dull band but I got a couple of good shots of them. At least there were no banjos in sight! Thank God for small mercies!
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I discovered The Receeders when I went to Offset Festival last year, where I bumped into Ryan Jarman from The Cribs. He was there to see some band or other, so I decided that if it's good enough for The Cribs, it's good enough for me. I fell in love with The Receeders' shouty punk sound instantly, they were actually the highlight of my weekend! Two days after I saw them, I realised that the girl on bass was actually Kate Nash. To my defense, I wasn't the only one that day who didn't recognise her. I only found out that The Receeders where playing a gig a couple of days ago and I had to pull some strings to be able to go (I was meant to be babysitting). I am so glad I did! What a great night out! And The Receeders made me smile yet again! The lights were surprisingly good and the venue wasn't as packed out as it should have been (considering who was playing), so there was space to move around quite nicely. Even with four photographer crowding around the stage.
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Finally! My first gig of the year! And as every year, the first one is at a rubbish venue! The Bowery is The Fly. All that has changed is the venue owners and the name, the lights have actually gotten worse! Yes, that is possible! I was informed they are now completely broken and you can count yourself lucky if you get a flicker! I only took 12 shots before I had enough and put the camera away. There were two other photographers anyway, so I just enjoyed the gig. Run Don't Walk had a brilliant gig! Packed out venue, lots of energy and even a new song! What a start to the year!
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I went to 93 Feet East on Monday and had a rather brilliant night. The following two days were not so :$ . I knew of Daniel Spiller and the Broken Record Project but had never seen them before. I know the drummer though, who's a really nice bloke and a very good drummer. So, as always, I took my camera, just in case. I packed my 16-35mm 2.8CZ and my 50mm 1.4, which I haven't used in aaaaaaaaaages. I enjoyed the company way to much to shoot the whole gig, so after a couple of shots, I put the camera away. Note the drummers brilliant t-shirt!
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Another gig at The Old Blue Last. This time for Bleech. I very much like their sound and their songs. Not liking The Old Blue last so much. Saying that, I was able to shoot the entire gig with my 16-35mm 2.8 CZ without the needing the flashgun this time!
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On Tube Strike Tuesday I made my way into London to see, hear and shoot my old friends Little Fish. Since the recording (and subsequent release) of their debut album Baffled and Beat, the band have mainly been touring with bigger bands and this was only the second time I was able to catch one of their sets this year. I had already bought tickets to this gig and wasn't going to bring the camera, as I knew that it was going to be packed and that there were going to be quite a few photographers anyway, when I was asked if I wanted to shoot Little Fish's set for The Girls Are.. I had been to The Old Blue Last quite a few times over the last 3 years and have seen the venue packed out, so I knew it was going to be a tough gig to shoot. It was even worse then I expected! In addition to the poor lights (light blue this time) I had to try and shoot around the photographer who kept leaning across the stage and sticking his camera in my frame! I couldn't move around but I had secured a rather good spot on the stairs leading up to the stage.
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On Saturday Run Don't Walk played the Halloween party at The Water Rats in Kings Cross. Seeing as the band headlined and therefore sound-checked at 3pm, they decided to spend the afternoon shopping for suitable costumes (they were only booked to play this gig with a weeks notice, so didn't have much time to organise a proper dress-up)! Headlining a Saturday night Halloween party gig at The Water Rats where they had 8 (yes EIGHT! bands on), meant going on at stupid o'clock, add to that the fact that bands can NEVER keep time, it was almost midnight by the time Run Don't Walk finally took the stage. But the wait was more then worth it! As soon as they hit the first chord, I knew that this was going to be brilliant! And brilliant it was! Well worth the £50 cab ride home! The lights at The Water Rats vary from extreme red to extreme blue. Shame really, because they have nice lights in there, but usually no one who can operate them properly.
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On Wednesday I made my way to Kilburn to shoot a 3 piece, female fronted, punk band from America called Screaming Females for The Girls Are.. I didn't know what to expect, but I really enjoyed the band. So much so, I put my camera away and just enjoyed the last couple of songs! What impressed me the most was this little girl, who dressed a bit like a nun, playing guitar like a demon rock God! Just brilliant!
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Just as you think a band is all settled with the line-up they have, someone gets a new job or moves, or something else that stops them continuing with the band. In Run Don't Walk's case, it was the guitar player's job that took over his life. Less then four weeks after playing the best gig the band had ever played at Proud Galleries, they found themselves across the road at The Monarch with 2 new members (a replacement guitar player and an added keyboard player).
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Seeing as my last set of pictures of Doll and the Kicks caused so much controversy on morrissey-solo.com, I thought I hurry and post this set, so they have some other pictures to to judge the band (and especially Hannah) by! Even though I was going to go to this gig anyway and have shot the band for the last 3 years or so, I took these for The Girls Are...
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This was by far the best gig I had seen Run Don't Walk play. I might even go as far as saying that this was the best gig I have seen any band play in a while! Sadly it was Danny's (guitar player) last gig. He's got to much going on in real life, especially with his job, so he made the difficult decision to quit the band. But my God did he go out with a bang!
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What voice! What a sound! What an awesome band!
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Bleech are just such a great band to shoot! And they sound pretty good too :p !
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More rock from Faith N Fury followed. Even thought they did have a song which wouldn’t have been out of place on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack!
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Kodiak Jack brought the rock.
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Next up were The Scholars, who have a White Lies Indie sound, complete with the very distinct deep singing voice.
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Then we were treated to some world music by Abdelkader Saadoun and his band.
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Then we had an acoustic interlude from Clare Portman.
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Last Saturday I went to Leadenhall Market near Liverpool Street station to photograph The City That Rocks, an all day charity event in aid of Street Souls, which helps London's many homeless people. It was a day with lots of great bands and freezing cold weather :( . First up were Vernie and Bertrum:
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If I'm honest, I don't actually remember much about this gig. Not because I had to much to drink, but because it simply wasn't a very memorable gig. Don't get me wrong, Run Don't Walk were great, the pictures are prove of that! It was just everything else around them that was a bit rubbish. The atmosphere was totally non existing that night! Maybe it's venues where the bar is in a different room, that just don't do it for me?!
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I went to Proud in Camden three weeks ago to check out a night that Run Don't Walk will be playing in two weeks time and of course to see Secret Cinema again. Free popcorn seems to be becoming a regular thing at the bands gigs and it's greatly appreciated by many! The band was brilliant as ever and the whole night was pretty cool! I'm looking forward to seeing Run Don't Walk there at the end of the month! Doubt we'll get popcorn though :( .
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The band that played before Secret Cinema, where OK-ish (I'm not sure about their name, I think it might be Kakuzi.). I just wanted to have a play with the settings, really.
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A couple of weeks ago, I made my way to The Standard in Walthamstow. Usually I don't take my car out to gigs, but I just couldn't face sitting on a bus for 45 minutes when I can be there in 20 minutes in my own car! So a night of going wild on lemonade it was! I meet up with David, who is organising The City That Rocks (to which I have contributed some pictures) for a chat and more lemonade! I had to sit through (well, I just went outside) a couple of awful bands before Bleech took to the stage and suddenly everything was better! What a brilliant band!
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I was really looking forward to this gig as it seems like a long time ago since I last shot Run Don't Walk play a full on electric set (It has been! The last time was in March!). The new line-up is just getting better and better with every gig they play and the band is just having great fun on-stage, enjoying each others company.
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I have been aware of Eaststrikewest for a while and I really like what I have heard off their album. As a matter of fact, I have seen the band under a different name (and with a different singer) three or four years ago at 93ft East.
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I am a great believer in checking out all the bands that play on a night. You never know, you might come across a band you really like! After Secret Cinema it was Tiger Please' turn. They didn't have any popcorn, but I really liked the singers voice! As for the shooting conditions; at least there was some light, even if it was blue!
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Yes, it's Secret Cinema again! I love that band and every time I see them, I love them just a little bit more. Last night the band handed out popcorn before they took to the stage. And it was very tasty popcorn indeed! I didn't take many pictures as the band asked the light guy to turn off all the lights and it was a bit of a mare to get anything decent. So yet again, I just hung back, eat my popcorn and enjoyed the music!
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Two weeks ago Run Don't Walk played their first acoustic gig (apart from the radio session they did a couple of month ago). It's hard to imagine how their synth heavy indie rock will translate into an acoustic sound, but the band really pulled it off and the quality of the songs really shows in this stripped down version!
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On Monday night I headed to the Hope and Anchor in Islington for Fused. I have known the guitar player for years and have put them on in August 2007 at the Lark when they were just an acoustic duo. Since then the band has expanded to a five piece full blown electric outfit and every time they have played a gig in London, I was already doing a gig somewhere else, or in charge at home and unable to go out. So I thought it was about time I'd make one of their gigs and get them some new pictures!
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A while ago I hooked up More Then Music, a recently set up webzine who were looking for writes and photographers. But due to the rubbish that’s been happening to me in the last month, I hadn’t have the chance to actually go out and shoot a show for them. When I got a message via Facebook on Friday asking me if I wanted to shoot Local Natives for them at the Shepherds Bush Empire, I thought “Fuck it! I’m doing it!” I had only been at the venue a week before to see Teenage Fanclub (without a camera though), but was towards the back, so had no idea about the size of the pit or the stage. After picking up my photo pass, I was told that I had to walk around the venue and come in through the “Stage Entrance”. From there I was taken straight to the pit and after that, I wasn’t really allowed to move anywhere else. Sadly I missed Lissie, the first support band, but I was able to take a couple of pictures of Blue Roses (might upload some of those at some stage), which help to get a feel for the pit and have a play with the settings. I got the usual three songs (no flash) for Local Natives and was then told to get out. As in out of the venue! But what I did see of the band, I quite liked! Sadly the same can’t be said for the lights. For such a big venue, I expected better. I had a hard time getting anything usable, but I think I got a couple of good shots, just not as many as I wanted or hoped for.
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On Monday night I made my way to Kings Cross to see Secret Cinema play at the Water Rats. After the rubbish month I had, I intended to have a messy night and just enjoy a good band. I did however take my camera. Just in case! Of course I am far to responsible to get recklessly drunk, so I got the camera out and took some pictures instead. Secret Cinema played the best set I have seen them play so far, so I decided to put the camera away and just enjoy it. Not that I don’t enjoy a gig when I’m shooting it of course, but I wanted to focus on the music, rather then the visuals. Next step for them is Glastonbury, but I will try and catch the band at their next London gig in July!
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Two weeks ago, after dropping my mother and sister back at the airport after a short stay, I saw a twit from Little Fish encouraging Londoners to come to The Borderline to see fellow Oxford band A Silent Film. I cheekily replied asking if the band would like some pictures. Half an hour later I was told that I was on the guestlist! I really enjoyed A Silent Film's set and I'm looking forward to seeing them on a bigger stage some time soon. They are doing very well in Europe, playing major festivals, so it's only a question of time before the UK catches up! As for The Borderline; I forgot how much I dislike that venue! I shot my first gig there (apart from the husband, but that doesn't count anyway) and I do have a soft spot for it, but it's a pain in the butt to try and get any decent pictures in there!
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I went to the Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen on Wednesday to see Secret Cinema. I have been to this venue many times and I have never seen it this packed. The first band took to the stage almost an hour late. Secret Cinema were the headlining band, so things didn’t get off to a good start and by the time the band finally took to the stage, lots of people had to leave to catch the last tube. I had an absolute nightmare trying to get any decent pictures, the venue wasn’t just the fullest I had ever seen it, it was also the darkest!
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So after Bleech it was time for Little Fish to take to the stage. It had been over a year since I last saw the band (at a much smaller venue!) and I was really looking forward to seeing them and hearing the new songs. Little Fish were AWESOME! What a gig! And "Am I Crazy" is still my favourite! The single should be out soon, so get it!
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I kind of accidentally won ticket to see Bleech and Little Fish play the NME Club night at Koko on Friday night. I normally don't do club night gigs because I wouldn't be able to get the last train home, but for those two bands I was willing to take the car into London. I thought I better try to get a photo pass for this gig, as I might never get the chance to shoot at Koko again! Thanks to Juju of Little Fish for sorting me out with a pass, I had an awesome time! I have been aware of Bleech before they changed their name, but never had the chance to see them play live. I knew that I would like them and I wasn't disappointed!
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First time I shoot The Parlotones was in August 2007 at a 200 capacity venue, the last time I photographed them was a year later in a 350 capacity venue and the band invited me to shoot from the stage. Since then things have changed quite a bit; sold out venues of over a 1000 capacity and I now need a pass to be able to take my camera into the venue. First thing I noticed when I walked into the pit was the enormous height of the stage ( about 1.2 meters!) and the front of the stage was lined with monitors, which added another 50cm to the height. Sucks being small! I only had my 16-35mm 2.8 and my 35mm 1.4 lenses with me, I could have really done with a 24-70mm 2.8 :( . Good news is, that is now on my "next lens to get" list! The pit was quite crowded as well, so it wasn't easy finding a good spot where I didn't have a monitor or someone else's lens or head in the frame. Despite the problems, I think managed to get a couple of good shots though. After our five (yes FIVE!) songs were up, I went into the crowed and enjoyed the rest of the hour and a half set, singing along very loudly (and possibly very badly) to every song. It was brilliant to see The Parlotones play to such a big crowd and they sounded awesome. It was a pleasure and an honour to photograph the band! A big thank you to Glenn for sorting me out with a pass. Next time the band will be in London is when they support Ash (again, at the Electric Ballroom). I might not be able to see them then, but I'm sure it's going to be an awesome gig!
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I went to the Electric Ballroom yesterday to see my old friends The Parlotones. I got to the venue just as The Little Million took to the stage, so I jumped into the pit (something I haven't been "allowed" to do for aaaaaaaaaaaaaages!) and had some fun!
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I made my way to The Enterprise last night to see Life in Film, and believe me, it wasn't easy! There are no trains going into London from my station over the Easter Bank Holidays, so I had to walk the long way round to the tube. Just around the corner from my house, some punk kid thought he was going to show off in front of his mates and not get out of my way. I just stuck my elbow out, whacked him in the ribs and kept on walking. What the hell is wrong with kids these days? You really wanna start a fight with a 30-something mother of two?! Dumb f***! After finally getting to the venue, it took ages to get served at the bar and after making my way upstairs, I thought I was going to faint, the room was so hot! Then I saw the lights! Why bother?! There stage was surrounded by red LED lights and the band's faces were "lit" by 4 blue LED lights. WTF?! Why?!
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I took a couple of pictures of Whales in Cubicles when they supported Life in Film at The Enterprise. I actually just wanted work out the settings on my camera and to be able to show you how bad the light really were. This was shot at F2.8 1/40 ISO 2500. Madness!
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I came across Secret Cinema when they played with Life in Film at 93ft East at the beginning of the year. The band absolutely blew me away! I actually recognised the singer from a band I had seen 7 years ago! The lights at 93ft East are getting worse every time I go there. I came prepared and used the flash!
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A short but sweet set by Run Don't Walk, but I don't think they will ever play at that venue again. Nor will I be volunteering to shoot there again!
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The NYCO Project played with Run Don't Walk at The Cavendish Arms a couple of weeks ago. I only took a couple of pictures, mainly to check out the lights and the settings on my camera. Everyone seemed to like the band, but I think that was because of the female singer and her tight t-shirt.
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Run Don't Walk return after a 10 month absence with a new rhythm section and a new sound!
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The Foxes where the last band I photographed in 2009 and the first proper gig I have done this year. Hoxton Square Bar and Kitchen is a nice enough venue, but I just can’t deal with the spinning disco ball that reflects little moving light balls onto the walls and floor and makes the room look like it’s spinning. Bad BAD idea!
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Luminaires played with Secret Cinema at 93ft East the first time I saw them. The guys had nice haircuts, so I thought I take a couple of shots.
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