LIVE music photography

2009’s line-up for the Teenage Cancer Trust Concerts has surprised a lot of people with a patchy line up that is short on big names and exclusive performances. Following up The Who’s legendary performance in 2007 is always going to be a tough call however it seems like Rodger Daltry’s brain child has run out of steam, and unlike other years has not been a sell out. I was asked to cover Thursday night’s performance which was headlined by MOR Welsh rockers Stereophonics and London based funk act The Noisettes as well as the newcomer Karima Francis.

The event which is managed by Alan Edwards Outside Organisation was managing media relations however the lack of support on their side was laughable. Edwards who is interviewed in this Weeks “Music Week” is cited as the Brian Clough of music PR. A man who had built an enviable reputation based on great relationships with the media  and news agencies alike. Too bad then that photographers were made to wait half an hour at the box office as the PR had failed to leave the guest list or photo passes at the box office. When they arrive I was greeted with curt instructions rather than an apology for being late! Thanks guys!

First up on the bill was Karima Francis a new singer songwriter from Blackpool who is signed to the excellent Kitchenware Records. The best way to describe Karima would be a cross between Joan Armatrading and Tracey Chapman. Karima is currently on tour with James Morrison and will be appearing at Vince Power’s Hop Festival in Kent and on the acoustic stage at Glastonbury in June.

Next up on the bill was London based funk pop trio The Noisettes whose irritably singe “Don’t Upset the Rhythm” has been used to advertise Vauxhall Cars. Don’t hold that against them, their performance was excellent and they put on an enjoyable show. The band are gigging intermittently in April and then rather bizarrely will be supporting Maximo Park for their tour. I don’t have anything against Maximo Park however I wouldn’t regard them as a good fit.

Last up on the bill was the Stereophonics.I have never been much of a fan of the Stereophonics, I first saw them back in 1995 at the music industry conference “In the City” which for a year moved from Manchester to Dublin. There was a huge amount of hype around the band who had just been signed to V2 Records. Since then they have gone from strength to strength however their records have been becoming increasingly banal MOR fodder. Their latest greatest hits album celebrating over a decade of in the business is a testament to their success however, I’m sorry to say that I was equally unexcited by seeing them at the Royal Albert Hall as I was when I saw then in Dublin many years ago.

Written by John Rahim

I recently bought Red Light Company’s debut album “Fine Fascination” after hearing a number of their singles on XFM all of which sounded extremely promising. Formed less than two years ago with band members from the States and New Zealand the band spent their first year focusing on rehearsing and writing the material for their debut album. I am sure that visa’s must have been a problem for this international quintet who probably spent most of their first  six months filling in papers and visa forms.  That said the debut album has had some great reviews which has been compared to early Editors and Coldplay. 

Photographing bands at the Borderline is always a challenge due to the lack of a pit, ridiculously poor lighting, and the lack of ability to move around and capture the band from different angles. That said the show was very good and their singer/lead guitarist, Richard Frenneaux was full of confidence and charisma. Interestingly enough RLC are one of the new bands this year which have not been hyped up by the NME and as result have managed to stay under the radar and build their following through consistent gigging at small venues and the odd support tour. I’m not sure what festival plans they have over the summer however I’d imagine that they will be pretty busy. I think RLC will do pretty well and over time will break through to a mainstream audience.  They might not be the most exciting band on the live circuit at the moment however neither were Keane or the Editors when they emerged and they both have done pretty well.

Written by John Rahim

I can’t say that I was a massive M People fan however the other month whilst clearing out a load of CD’s for the charity shop found 5 of their albums in my collection. OK I worked in the industry when they were popular in the early 90’s however I had no idea that my collection contained so many CD’s which had never been played. Rather sheepishly I took all of the CD’s to my local Oxfam hoping that the would find happy home and an appreciative owner.

M People and Heather Small are quite a strange phenomenon. Despite not receiving much credibility in their heyday M People sold over 5 million albums and racked up a load of top 20 hits across Europe. Her recent stint on Strictly Come Dancing certainly has not done her any harm as she came across as witty and charming and up for a laugh.

I was in Barcelona seeing Michael Jackson the weekend when they were filming the video to their single “One Night in Heaven” and bumped into their PR person on the flight who invited me down for the afternoon to sit in on the video  shoot. The video was being shot in Sitges a beautiful seaside village around 20 miles outside of Barcelona. The video shoot looked like hard work so I sloped off to the beach. Being a young naive 23 year old I have not figured that it was gay hangout which was slightly livelier than I expected!

The gig at Indigo2 at the O2 arena was different to what I expected. Firstly the venue was only about three quarters full and the set was a lot jazzier than I expected. I knew that Heather Small was a soul and Jazz fan however in parts I found her performance rather cabaret, especially the cover of the Billie Holiday classic “Summertime” which she dedicated to her son and his friend. Towards the end of the set she played the hits from the early M People years however the set mainly covered her solo and jazz covers.

She is playing 12 dates across the UK in May which I am sure will do well and it’s good to see that she has plenty of life left after the M People years. For more information on her forthcoming gigs visit her MySpace Page.

Written by John Rahim

The last time I saw Snow Patrol was at a secret gig at the Bloomsbury Theatre a couple of days before the launch of their new album “A Hundred Million Suns”. The last show was pretty good and whilst I’m not a massive fan stayed for the show rather than sloping off after the third number.

This was the first time I had seen Snow Patrol at the the O2 and was suitably impressed by their performance. The band who now have recorded five albums are extremely tight live and whilst the songs, in my opinion, are slightly derivative, work well in a packed stadium. I don’t think this album will go down as a classic however one thing is for sure, they have a massive and loyal fanbase who no doubt will be buying their concert tickets for years to come.

Written by John Rahim

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