LIVE music photography

This year marks the 20th anniversary of Roy Orbison’s death. To commemorate this, his birthday, and his life, his wife Barbara along with her two sons Roy Jnr, and Alex decided to celebrate throw a party at Gibson’s Studios. Roy Orbison had a long relationship with Gibson and he wrote one of his most famous songs “Oh Pretty Women” on an Ephiphone 12 string acoustic guitar. A limited edition of this guitar is being lauched in September.

The evening started with a PR shoot in the Gibson studios with Barbra and her sons and was followed by a 2 hour show featuring new an up and coming artists all of who covered one of Roy Orbison’s songs. The event was packed and included a number of celebs, the actor David Prowse who played Darth Vader in Star Wars attened along with a number of friends.

The show included renditions by Fyfe Dangerfield from the Guuillemots, Norwegian Pop Idol winner Tone Damli Aagerge and former Fleetwood Mac member Billy Burnett. The songs spanned Roy Orbison’s musical catalogue and was a highly enjoyable evening.  The night ended with his wife and son’s cutting a cake in the shape of an Ephiphone acoustic guitar, which I can confirm was very tasty!

Written by John Rahim

I have to admit that before last week I had never been to a Derek Trucks show and although I was aware of his work with the Allman Bothers. and Eric Clapton had no idea of his influence on a new generation of serious guitarists. The Gibson PR shot went very well and I have to say Derek is one of the nicest and most unassuming people that you are ever likely to meet. Initially I thought that Derek Trucks was going to be old and black, wrong on both accounts. He has just turned 30 and when he was 12 was playing with the likes of Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton and the Allman Brothers.

After the promo shoot I was keen to see him live and was luck enough to secure a photo pass. I am exaggerating if I saw that the gig was one of the most impressive shows that I have ever seen. Granted the concert is billed as the Derek Trucks Band and although he has 6 other band members the main attraction is Derek’s unbelievable slide guitar playing. I am no Blues specialist however left the show reeling with enthusiasm.
Derek is doing a couple of shows in the UK before moving back to the US where he will be embarking on a 20 date tour across the States. If you are into Blues and have not seen him live I’d urge you to check him out as you will not be disappointed.

I have added a video from You Tube which will give you an idea of his music and unbelievable talents.

Written buy John Rahim

Although I had applied for a pass to cover the AC/DC concerts at the O2 I was fairly sure that my request was going to be delcined as the band seldomly allow news agencies to cover their concerts, and are extremely restrictive on how their pictures can be used. Luckily enough I managed to secure a pass via Gibson Guitars. Angus Young’s Gibson SG is as synonymous with the band as his trade mark school boy’s outfit so I was given strict instructions on the sort of PR shots that they were looking for. Even though I had a nightmare getting to the venue (thanks London Underground) after a £30 taxi ride I made it to the O2 with minutes before the band started their show.

I have been to many big concerts however AC/DC put on a mammoth show which undoubtebly would have cost a fortune to stage. That said their “Black Ice” tour has been one of the biggest grossing tours for a while and the loyalty of their fans means that high ticket prices are not really a consideration when it means seeing a genuine classic rock band play live.

The set began with a ridiculously camp cartoon of a train and Angus Young playing a horny devil whilst being tempted by two young girls. The climax of the clip was fireworks and the jumbo tron being raised revealing an enormous train set complete with smoke and pyrotechnics! The set started with  songs from their new album “Black Ice” which has sold millions and has opened them up to a new fan base. Subsequent tracks that I heard included “Back in Black” and “Hells Bells”.  AC/DC are one of those weird rock bands who have defyied fashion and have been popular for the best part of 30 years. During this time they have sold an incredible 200 millions albums world wide with their 1980 “Back in Black” classic selling 22 millions copies in the US alone! The band have shunned the digital age and are very cautious about selling online and having their photos syndicated, that said you can’t say that this has hurt them as their appeal seems to be growing so they are obviously doing something right.

Written by John Rahim

Regular readers of my my blog will know that I first came across Polly Scattergood late last year and have been raving about her debut album which was released by Mute Records last month. Her album is one of the finest debuts that I have heard in years is musically is a cross between Kate Bush, Laura Marling and dare I say Bat for Lashes. Her album is incredibility dark and introspective however charmingly humorous yet at times unnerving and just plain odd. All good stuff for a singer who has just turned 23 and has more in common with PJ Harvey than Sheryl Cole!

He gig at Cargo was the first London date in a while and the only show in the Capital of her current mini tour. Cargo which is just off the achingly trendy Hoxton Square in the East End seemed to be the perfect venue and was full of a cluster of fashionist’s, senior music industry figures and fanatical fans who turned up early to secure the best places at the front of the stage. Granted from a photographer’s standpoint it’s not ideal as it has to be one of the darkest venues in London and doesn’t have a pit which means that you need to jostle around with the audience which can be a bit off putting for both parties. That said Polly put on a great performance and managed to convey the passion and the subtleties of her music admirably well demonstrating that she’s just as comfortable on stage as in the studio. She is performing tonight (18th April) at the Academy in Oxford and tomorrow night at the Talking Heads in Southampton. I’m not sure if she’s doing any of the festivals this year so if you are free this weekend and nearby you should check her out.

As for the album if you only buy one debut album this year make sure it’s hers as you won’t be disappointed. Just to give you a flavour of what I mean i have included an expert from NME’s review last month

“A fantastically dark and unsettling debut. Deceptively light on the ear at first, Polly’s curious mixture of the everyday and the fantastic carries a serrated knife-edge. The musical backdrops – odd piano loops, discreet guitars, flutters of synth and adeptly deployed electronic percussion – frame songs in which you can’t get away from what Polly emotes. She has set a high-water mark for herself with this debut that she can and surely will surpass. The mind boggles – in a great way – as to exactly what she’ll be up to in 10 years time.” – NME – 8/10

Review by John Rahim

The last couple of weeks have been really odd. Normally March is a really busy month however this year the live scene has been pretty flat. That said I have been avoiding the West End as I’m worried about getting wrapped up in City demos and my cameras are having a much needed service at Fixation.

That said I covered James Morrison earlier in the week which was a pretty good gig. I have always avoided James Morrison on the basis that I continually get him confused with Mark Morrison (no relation) and the appalling MOR rocker James Blunt. Having never listened to any of his albums or attended any of his previous gigs I think it may be a bit unfair to add my tuppence worth however he currently has 2 albums in the top 20 which between them have sold over a Million copies in the UK alone. Not bad going, I guess.  Musically he seemed much better than the aforementioned artists so thumbs up for Jim and his namesake.

I’m covering the Eagles of Death Metal next week, who I will have an opinion on, and will be seeing ACDC, Polly Scattergood and Bat for Lashes the week after which should be a lot of fun so keep tuned.

Written by John Rahim