Flying high with Reverend and the Makers

One look at these pictures will tell you that this week’s blog does not feature James Morrison, who completely blew me out last week.  I got to the venue and thought this is all a bit quiet, and there it was…a sign in the door – “hang on to your tickets – tour postponed”.  No reason given. No – “tell Tracey I’m really sorry and I’ll make it up to her…”.  I hope we’ll be able to pick up where we left off later in the year but James, you’re on a yellow card.

The bonus though is that you get to hear about my Sunday night with Reverend and the Makers at the Motorpoint Arena.  If you’re not familiar with them they’re a Sheffield band and I’ve known founders Jon and Ed for ages.

Anyhow, they’re currently on tour in the run up to the launch of new album ‘@Revernd_Makers’, supporting Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds. For the whole of this tour the photography pit has been designated a no go zone.  Oftentimes this has meant that photographers have been consigned to the sound desk area, which, in the Arena, would have meant standing miles back from the stage.  Fortunately that didn’t happen and we were allowed to use the walkway to the side .

As I strolled along to find my spot I looked up into the audience to see if there were any familiar faces and saw a hand waving back at me. When I peered up I could see it belonged to Richard Hawley.. how lovely. Then a bit further along another  wave – this time two hands – Pete McKee and his wife.  Talk about small world Sheffield. I’d not been in the best mood on Sunday so they properly cheered me up!

As I got into the job, I got some decent shots of Ed and Jon – Ed, I’m liking the new ‘do’ btw, that quiff is definitely working for you – then turned my long lens to the drummer and was surprised to see yet another familiar face.  I know Ryan Jenkinson from the Skeletons but had no idea he’d switched bands.

He came round from backstage afterwards and we had a bit of a catch up [and hes already come back to me that he likes the pictures!].  All good fun but I guess I should give a mention to Noel and co who were also on top form.

So, all in all my Sunday night’s work turned into a pretty good social and the void left by Mr Morrison was well and truly filled.  I’m not promising anything for next week though…don’t want to jinx it….

Into the blue with the Kaisers

I’ve seen and shot the Kaiser Chiefs on numerous occasions, at festivals and gigs. You may remember the last encounter was Kirkstall Abbey just before Christmas.  They’re always good value but the only noticeable progression as far as I can tell is in the hair which has evolved perhaps more than the music over the last couple of years.

The other main difference is in lead singer Ricky Wilson. What has happened to him these days?? He used to be as bouncy as Zebedee and I’d be running round like a headless chicken trying to catch him mid bounce – timing was everything if I didn’t want to end up with a portfolio of shoes or conversely the kind of mug shots you get in photo booths when you’ve forgotten to wind the seat up.

These days he’s a lot more reserved and that gave me more time to concentrate on everything else…like the fact that the O2 Sheffield lighting is still what can only be described as shocking.  The LEDs just don’t deliver enough power and what light there was on Saturday was mostly blue.

Anyhow, as always we carried on regardless and I got what I was after. I was particularly pleased with a couple of shots of Ricky which I think kind of capture the spirit of the performance.

And fortunately the O2 team redeemed themselves slightly by being much more on the ball with their social networking, re-tweeting my tweet about the gig to all their followers…which was nice!

My cousin David was there, legitimately I should say, I didn’t smuggle him in as a tripod carrier.  We’d never have made it past those over zealous bouncers. He texted me later on to say that he absolutely loved it.  According to David “they just get better and better”.  So there you go – a satisfied punter and I’m sure there were many more.

So, thanks to the Kaisers for a great gig.  Coming uo in next week’s blog – I’m at the O2 Leeds for James Morrison!!!  Ive never seen him before and..I make no apologies here…I’m getting quite giddy already.  In the meantime here’s a rare Zebedee moment from Mr Wilson.

Let it Snow Patrol

So, Saturday night there’s a blizzard and Sunday morning Snow Patrol blow into town.  I didn’t actually see them until Tuesday night but apparently, by the time they showed up at the Motorpoint Arena they’d been in Sheffield for three whole days….if you spotted Gary, Jonny, Nathan, Paul, Tom or Johnny in any interesting locations let me know.

The Arena was virtually sold out for the latest leg of Snow Patrol’s UK tour and although it could hardly be described as an intimate setting, particularly compared to the Real Radio gig at the Forum where I last photographed the band, they still had a brilliant connection to the audience.

For the first two numbers I got a free rein in front of the stage with the other three members of the pit crew but after that we had to stick behind the sidelines so that lead man Gary could come down from centre stage and press some audience flesh.  Fantastic for them and great for us too really.

Support for Snow Patrol came from Indie band Everything Everything – members of which come from here there and everywhere but are currently based in Manchester.

As always I was after a killer shot of the drummer which is often quite tricky.  Alongside me in the pit Liam, who’s not actually a full time professional but thanks to his dedicated music blog manages to find his way into every gig. After a number of sessions in close proximity we’ve got to know each other pretty well.  You know what they say about familiarity though…and Liam is not the tallest of chaps.  As the light finally illuminated the drummer we hurtled into position and Liam was right there in front of me. I was so intent on getting the shot in, that without hesitation I rested my lens on his head.  Fortunately he was very good natured about the whole thing. “I’ve never been a human tripod before” he said jovially.  “Well Liam”, I said, “you have now!”

All in all another good night.  Thanks to Snow Patrol, Everything Everything and to  Liam for additional support.  Credit where credit’s due….

About last night…

Last night was preview night for my exhibition at the Round Foundry Media Centre and first off, let me say a big thanks to everyone who came along and made it a really brilliant evening.

It’s always a bit of a worry wondering who’s going to show up, how many to cater for and so on but in the end we were a party of around 50, and many of you stayed until kicking out time which, I think, is a sign of a decent do.

With a selection of fine wines Barry Starmore was possibly the most popular man in the room and several guests went home with a bottle or six of what they’d sampled.   I’m going to be working with Barry in the next few months so will bring you inside info on the ‘All things wine and More’ business then.

Victoria Made had come up trumps with a selection of gorgeous branded cup cakes.  In fact they looked so perfect that it took a while for guests to actually take a bite out of them.  In the end though people were hanging back at home time with requests for party bags to share with friends and family.

It was good to hear that the pictures I’ve just done for Victoria have had really positive feedback.  Gossip last night…she’s done cupcakes for  Rosie Fortescue from Made in Chelsea.  This means absolutely nothing to me as I don’t actually have a telly but others in the room were deeply impressed.  Even Stuart McFarlane, formerly Digital and New Media sector manager of Yorkshire Forward and now building businesses across the region, had heard of her.  Stuart was first in the queue for cupcake takeout to share at his next port of call – rehearsal with his ceilidh band, Gaelstrom.   Apparently he’s the bass player. It’s amazing what you find out about people at this kind of social.

A couple of other purchases on the night.  Laurra Nalty, a fellow student of social media, has got dibs on ‘John T Angle and the Spirit Levels’ (seen centre here).  She’s just back from a trip to the National Portrait Gallery but, funnily enough, didn’t find anything there in her price range.  And bottle designer Dave Wheelwright is apparently after my picture of Mark Burton…seen here viewing himself!

As the event drew to a close and I said “Thanks for coming” someone shouted back “Thanks for the buns!”  Sorry Victoria, what he meant to say was thanks for your sumptuous hand crafted creations.  All in all a really good night. It was nice to see some completely new faces but nice also that so many folk had come across from Sheffield.   Bea at web design agency Moogaloo commented on the painterly style of the pictures and said she’d really enjoyed seeing them in situ. That makes it all worthwhile really.

Final thanks to Bridget for some extra snaps and ‘Pete the Printer’  who helped me get the show ready.  Pete has his own blog – My Typo Humour. I’d better do another spell check…

A marriage Victoria Made in Heaven

Working the weekend is something I’m pretty used to by now.  However my usual weekend work tends to be a late gig on a Friday or Saturday night. A 7.30am start on a Sunday morning is definitely not normal.

In reality though, a road trip to London with Victoria Made, creator of couture cakes did not feel like work.  For a start a road trip is always a great bonding opportunity and after two and a half hours in the car with Victoria and her graphic designer husband Carl we definitely knew each other a whole lot better than when we set off from Sheffield.

Victoria Made creates bespoke cakes for gorgeous weddings and other stylish events and the brief for our Sunday shoot was basically to capture some lovely shots of some lovely cakes in an equally lovely hotel – the Hempel which sits in the heart of the city.  The shots will ultimately find their way into print and web promotion for Victoria Made and the Hempel was also after a slice of loveliness for the hotel’s own website.

We certainly didn’t struggle for spaces to set up.  The hotel has a gallery with a beautifully clean, contemporary interior that complemented the sculptural lines of the cakes. But there were lots of other incidental spaces to add in some variety and the hotel also has a picture perfect Zen garden just over the road.  By the end of the morning we had a great portfolio for Victoria and Carl to work with and rounded off the job with a team lunch before we headed back North ie beyond Hemel Hempstead.

All in all a grand day out and if this has whetted your appetite don’t forget, Victoria Made is creating something heavenly for my exhibition preview at the Round Foundry in Leeds on February 1st…I, for one, will definitely be showing up…

Turn left at the Leeds and Liverpool Canal

Now I think I may have mentioned one or several times I’m about to move into a new studio space in Tower Works in Leeds and I’m just a little bit excited about it.

Over the last year or so I’ve had an increasing number of commissions from Leeds and as I’ve got to know the city I’ve felt really happy spending time there.  Personally and professionally there’s a positive vibe and alongside the more traditional companies there are lots of newer creative agencies which makes for an exciting business environment.

As I said in last week’s blog, I found the studio through Creative Space Management who also run Electric Works in Sheffield and as soon  as I saw the building  I absolutely loved it  – big windows so lots of natural light, period features but clean, contemporary and workable.

Now I’m just chomping at the bit to move in (roll on March) and I had hoped to give you a sneak preview of the studio this week.  Sadly the timings didn’t work out so instead you’ll have to make do with my brief moment in the media spotlight.

Anita Morris Associates is the agency handling the Tower Works launch and someone did tell me they’re the best agency in Leeds.  Clearly I’ve just met them and I don’t want to get too giddy but on the day all us new tenants got together for press photos (taken by the lovely Roger)  I met Anys from the agency and we really got on and that just reinforced my feeling that this is the right move for me.

So, studio pictures coming soon and in the meantime if you squint hard you can just about see the space..it’s the first arched window to the left of me…or is it the right…

Next week – a blog to make your mouth water…

Show and tell…

Are you deep in the January doldrums? Feeling in need of a little cultural excitement?  Wondering where to look for your next social event with free drinks and nibbles??  Well on February 1st I will be hosting the preview for my latest exhibition and while there will be an official guest list, regular blog followers are also very welcome to attend (though if your names not on the list you will be expected to achieve at least 75% on a short, blog quiz, just to test your loyalty).

So this is the story so far. I do some photography for Toby Hinds at Electric works  in Sheffield which is run by Creative Space Management. Just before Christmas I met one of their Leeds team, Paul Taylor and through Paul I found a new studio space at Tower Works. It’s brilliant, I’m dead excited and you’ll be hearing a lot more about it over the next couple of months.  Anyhow just across the road is the Round Foundry Media Centre and Paul said  – tell you what, since you’re taking the space here let’s book you for an exhibition there.  Brilliant!   It’s been a while since I showed my work personally (aside from electronically and miniscule) so the chance to share some of my favourite images on a large scale was just too good to pass up.

The next thought was – what will I show ??  But that didn’t take long to resolve.  Across almost every area of my portfolio portraits have always given me the best opportunity to showcase what I can do.  They demonstrate how I work with people, the technical standards I work to and the level of creativity I apply in order to project personality, atmosphere, ethos and so on.  It’s the kind of work that requires a lot of thought and consideration and so generally delivers the biggest rewards.  So, the shortlist of portrait contender is in progress, I think it will my best work and this is your opportunity to see whether you agree or disagree, with the help of some fine wine and some gorgeous confectionary, courtesy of couture cake creators Victoria Made.

So stick it in your diary, February 1st and if you don’t make it to the preview pop along to the Round Foundry when you can. The exhibition’s on until March 31st.

2011 – The sublime, the ridiculous and the downright bizarre

Well really and truly I am trying to get stuck into 2012 but quite frankly the weather’s shocking, news is generally grim and neither mind nor body seem particularly keen to make the leap just yet so instead, I’m taking a nostalgic look back over the past 12 months.

2011 was certainly a year where I covered a lot of ground – creatively and geographically.  Traveling to all ends the country photographing team members and activity for Acorn Industrial Services was an absolute blast and I really hope I get to revisit some of the guys there again this year.  Real characters who made me feel right at home from the far North East to the deepest South West.

Gigs – there were far too many to mention but the highlight of the festival circuit was definitely my first time at Ben and Jerry’s in Manchester….fab music, great performances, gorgeous cow costumes and of course really good ice-cream…particularly the strawberry shortcake.

Food was in fact a recurring theme of the year and it’s a wonder I came out the other side roughly the size I went in.

There was SP containers who deliver speciality food packaging for people like M&S and Tesco….I would have happily sampled all the products I was shooting there…apart from the pet food…one has to draw the line somewhere…

Then there was lots of work for design agency Moogaloo – from ultimately swish interiors to more food…and there was Barretts Bistro and that Very Delicious Cheesecake.

My biggest new signing was almost certainly Barclays Bank.  I’ve been ricocheting from Leeds to Sheffield from one press shoot to another and thanks to Pamela in marketing, there has never been a dull moment.

Dyslexia Action have been brilliant as ever and photographing the Annual awards for the first time was a huge highlight….I’m really hoping I get asked back this year….especially if that Tom Pellereau from The Apprentice is back again….and the a-maaazing designer Steve Edge (that’s how he says it by the way).

Along the way there have been loads of interesting faces to photograph from pop legends to TV presenters and corporate CEOs.   And last but not least there was that all-nighter I pulled, shooting publicity for the movie Kill List.  Most of the cast were completely starkers save for their wicker masks…somewhat surreal but hey…Warp Films whatever you’ve got planned for this year I’m completely available….

Thanks to everyone who supported me in 2011, especially Bob and Sarah at Inspire2Aspire.  I’m looking forward to applying all those practical strategies you’ve imparted this year.

So here’s to 2012, and despite the wind, rain…and now hail…I’m really looking forward to it.  Watch this space for the big reveal on my new studio in Leeds.  And see you there..then!!

Le Bon Christmas Blog

Sad but true, your festive season will be completely blog free, so to save you from filling the void with every available excess, from trash TV to turkey twizzlers, I bring you a feast of gig news for all the family.

Every good Christmas should feature a compilation album so this year here’s an absolute classic – Duran Duran’s greatest hits, live from the Motorpoint Arena.  Now it’s fair to say that I do go to more gigs than your average punter but it’s not often I get to stay for the entire set.  In this case, I would have given anything to stay…although clearly that didn’t extend to actually buying a ticket.

With around 30 single releases between 1981 and 2004, many of them in the top ten, Duran Duran are one of those bands I have grown up with and I guess will grow old with.  They genuinely seem to appeal to all ages (maybe partially thanks to the sailing/supermodel/celeb profile) and everyone in the Arena was just really happy to be there for what they knew would be a great night.

The lighting was brilliant and in the space of the opening number I’d managed to get everything I needed from Messrs le Bon and co (still looking good btw) which was great, because I could then concentrate on capturing something more creative and also, of course, singing along despite the eye rolling of my four fellow pit stoppers.

Moving on, for the younger generation we’re at the Leeds O2 for the Kooks.  The Brighton based band have actually been around for over a decade but are still attracting a following of predominantly bright young things.  Audience participation alternated between singing along (quite tunefully actually) and excitable squealing.  Literally taking centre stage lead singer Luke Pritchard was performing from an industrial strength, mesh platform which made photographing him fairly difficult and photographing the rest of the band nigh on impossible!  The strong light set did create some interesting shots though. They are a great little band with some really good songs and they are absolutely fantastic live.

In short, another Christmas cracker….look I had to do it…Christmas telly will be chocca with corny one-liners.

Have a good one and see you for more blog-tastic adventures in 2012!

Kasabian in the spotlight…in the shade(s)

So, this week we’re at the Motorpoint Arena with Kasabian. The Leicester band are currently touring their Velociraptor album so I was expecting the call, and having photographed them regularly over the last few years I was looking forward to it.

However, what I hadn’t bargained for was the added bonus of Miles Kane.  I’ve watched him progress from the Little Flames to the Rascals to the Last Shadow Puppets but have kept missing him ‘live’.  Anyhow this Saturday it got to 6.30, I was getting my kit together, had a quick look at the Arena info and there he was, supporting.  So..I legged it over there, grabbed my pass and snuck in, just in time.

I’d say there were a lot more people in there than you’d often find for a support and that’s a reflection of a quality performer who’s built his credibility with some decent bands plus collaborations with people like Alex Turner of The Arctic Monkeys.  He’s still only 25 or so and only released his first solo album this time last year so I’m sure there are many more blog appearances to come.

By the time Kasabian came on the venue was nicely full and I’d just about got used to the extra high stage which meant from the pit we only ever got a partial view of what was going on.  Not ideal but fortunately there was enough movement up there to get a decent variety of shots.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lead Tom Meighan must have forgotten his trademark eyeliner as he kept his sunglasses on for the entire gig (possibly competing with guitarist Jay Mehler) which was a pain as magazines really don’t like it.  They need to see your whole face and then decide if they want to photoshop your features out! So Tom, unless you’ve got a bad case of conjunctivitis or you’re completely photophobic (as in light sensitive not camera shy) next time lose the shades!!!

Everyone was clearly in a good mood and as the evening wore on the moshing cranked up and the obligatory inflated condoms and plastic cups (of what you always hope is beer) were flying here, there and everywhere.

Next week will be my final blog of 2011 so I’ll endeavour to get with the festive party programme….preferably minus the dubious plastic cups and with more traditional balloons…see you then!