LIVE music photography

The problems facing photographers covering gigs seem to be getting worse, and it’s always the blandest of MOR acts that cause the most trouble! Firstly we were told that we would be photographing Seal from the mixing desk at the back of the stalls so bring along a long lens. OK no problem however none the less a bit of a pain. We then arrived to be presented with a  photo release form including the following clause:

“I shall promptly forward to you, at the address set forth above, technically satisfactory copies of the Photos in the form of a digital disc or negatives.  You shall have the right to use the Photos for any and all purposes in any and all media throughout the universe, in perpetuity, free of charge.  You shall have the right, but not the obligation to use my name in connection with credits for any use by you of the Photos.”

So then I had a decision go home or sign it and agree that they can potentially exploit my photos for no money. Anyhow I signed the form foolishly however after the first number figured that the chances of ever earning anything from Seal was pretty much a million to one! The gig itself was pretty dull however that said I have never been a massive seal fan.

Written by John Rahim

I have tried to photographed The Eagles of Death Metal for the past year or so however every time they they’ve performed I’ve invariably been covering another band or have been out of the country. The first thing that drew me to this band back in 2000 was their ridiculous name only topped by 10,000 Maniacs and Black Rebel Motor Cycle club. The band which comprises of long time friends Jesse “Boots Electric” Huges (AKA The Devil) on vocals and guitar and QOTSA SINGER Josh Homme on drums have released three albums and after since then have built up an enviable cult following.
Tonight’s show was certainly important to them as it was the largest show that they had ever done something which (according to Jesse Huges) was revelling in the joy of playing to such a packed audience. After years it would appear that the Eagles of Death Metal are being recognised more than just a side project of Josh Homme’s more successful main band.
The gig tonight was excellent and included songs from all of their albums including some covers. The band are currently embarking on an a 40 date tour which will see them performing at the Pyramid Stage in Glastonbury across the UK and the US and ending up at the Reading Festival in August/ The Eagles of Death Metal are a great live band and if you want to check them out visit they MySpace page for a full listing of their gigs.

Written by John Rahim

Ok anyone who has spent any time looking at my photos or read my blog would probably hazard a guess that I am not  likely to the world’s greatest Boyzone fan. I don’t have anything against boy bands per se however with the exception of The Beach Boys and the Jacksons have always found them incredibly dull.

It would appear that the credit crunch is facing everyone and one sure way of filling your coffers if you are in an aging boy band is to have a reunion tour and release a greatest hits album. Ironically Ronan Keating admitted a few bands back that the wanted to do a “Take That” and wanted to get the band back together after an eight year hiatus. In the mid to late nineties the band had been incredibility successful and sold over 20 million albums. After the split of Take That in 1995 Boyzone took the mantle as the UK’s favourite pop band quipping E17 who everyone at the time thought would overtake the Irish newcomers. By the time the band split in 2000 they head earned their place in pop history and the subsequent success of Ronan Keating made a reunion look unlikely. What’s interesting is that the band unlike Take That decided to announce their comeback with a rather paltry greatest hits record rather than a album with new material. I guess the true success of Boyzone Pt2 will only be able to be gauged after the release of a new record which by all accounts will be in the stores later in the year. There were rumours of a collaboration with Mark Ronson however that looking unlikely.

Their gig at the O2 was an interesting affair. Surprisingly there were only three photographers covering the show, I would have expected in the region of 20 to cover such a big band however it would appear that the interest in the media has waned somewhat. Also the arena was not entirely sold out which may be an indication of a slightly less loyal fan base to that of Take That. That said their performance was impressive with the band being lowered onto the stage from a platform which was suspended from the lighting rig. They also had a all female dance toupee consisting of roughly 20 dancers who performed intricate and highly choreographed moves for the first three numbers.  I was also staggered about how unbelievably loud the  band were. In recent months I have photographed Razorlight, Snow Patrol and AC/DC at the O2 and all of them have been quieter than Boyzone. The audience however didn’t seem to mind who were happy to lap up the show.

As pop bands go Boyzone are pretty inoffensive however it will be interesting to see if Ronan can actually pull off a Take That and launch a second phase of the band.

Written by John Rahim

It sounds corny to say that good things come to those who wait however the story of the aging rockers Anvil is beautiful story of success after decades of obscurity and ridicule. I remember back in the early 80’s reading about a band called Anvil who at the time were destined to become the next Iron Maiden. Despite a fair amount of critical success and tours with many of the biggest names in rock at the time the band disappearedwithout a trace. Unbeknownto most of the Western hemisphere the band continued to plug away at crappy venues and released a plethora of records which few people got to hear. The death of Canada’s finest speed metal band was destined to the annals of rock.

However in 2007 something amazing happened. Sacha Gervasi an English filmmaker who had worked as the bands roadie back in the 80’s tracked them down andconvinced them to make a documentary film about their comeback tour. The result of this was the movie “Anvil, The Story of Anvil” which has to be probably the funniest rockumentary ever made. Spinal Tap was brilliant however had Spinal Tap been a a real band the move would have been a hundred times funnier. The movie  which includes interviews with Slash, Lars Ulrich and Scott Ian had had rave reviews won “The Audience Award” at the Sundance Festival earlier in the year. The film is due to be released tomorrow on DVD and is set to be one of big music releases of the year.

The band were in a jovial mood at Gibson Guitar Sudios and despite having spent the entire morning in interviews were relaxed and chatty. The band have been Gibson players over the years so were happy to participate in the PR shoot. Saturday saw them performing at The Download Festival and they are due to support AC/DC on their Stadium tour later in the year in the USA.  For those of you who have not seen the movie I would strongly recommend the DVD which is one of funniest releases in years.

Written by John Rahim

Ash are one of those bands who have been about for years however for some reason have never really made it. I have seen the band over a dozen time over the past years and remember seeing them for the first time at the Cork Rock festival back in 1994. The debate at the time in Hot Press (Ireland’s equivalent to the NME) was whether Ash or Oasis were going to make it. Stupid argument I know however after 10 years Ash for some reason are still 4th on the bill at the Reading Festival. The band write brilliantly crafted pop songs, are amazing live yet somehow have never really been cool or have been embraced by the edgier  music magazines.

That said Ash put on a great performance tonight and even though the venue was only half full they managed to create a great atmosphere performing songs across their entire catalogue. I doubt Ash will every reach the heady heights of “1977″ however I don’t doubt that they have plenty of years left in them.

Written by John Rahim