LIVE music photography

I first stumbled across Funeral for a Friend headlining the NME tent during the 1994 Reading Festival. The band had just released their debut album “Casually Dressed and Deep in Conversation” and took the festival by storm. I was fairly convinced that FFF would really take off in a big way and was disappointed when it appeared that their popularity was waning. That said tonight they were back on form playing a “best of” set from their greatest hits album  “Memory and Humanity & Your History Is Mine” which came out earlier in the year. Over an hour set they played most of their singles including  “Juneau”, “Escape artists never die” and “streetcar” their most successful single.FFF are a great live band however somewhat lack the versatility and charisma of other Welsh rock bands such as Lostprophets.
Written by John Rahim

Danish music and fashion photographer Soren Solkaer Starbird launched his highky anticipated photobook “Closer” at the Gibson Guitar Studio on the 14th of October 2009.

Soren is regularly commissioned for major music campaigns – for artwork and worldwide marketing purposes as well as press campaigns. Shooting the likes of Primal Scream, Leon Jean Marie, Metallica, Led Zeppelin, Alphabeat, Mark Ronson, and The Good , The Bad and The Queen collaboration, The White Stripes and The Raveonettes for their Record labels.

Soren is commissioned by Q magazine for many of their major artist interviews and cover shoots including their prestigious Awards issue for the last 2 years. This year’s highlights have included taking some beautiful portraits of Adele in London, shooting REM in New York with Michael Stipe’s head painted gold, following Sigur Ros whilst they put the finishing touches to their new album in various different countries and the recent ‘Duets’ triple covers featuring Paul Weller with Duffy at the Albert Hall, Russell Brand and Bobby Gillespie getting matey at the Soho Hotel and Mark Ronson and Ricky Wilson messing about in an East London photographic studio.

His book is available from the 15th of October.

Last Sunday I took the day off to photograph a new and up and coming band called “The Honey Ants”. The band who are a 60’s mish mash of The Mamas and Pappas, Turtles and Loving Spoonful. Headed up by singer/songwriter John Grimsey. Well worth checking out live for more info visit   http://www.myspace.com/thehoneyants

It must be something in the Yorkshire water however despite all of his critical acclaim Richard Hawley can’t help being self deprecating. Asking what all the fuss is about and seeming slightly bemused that around 20 photographers would be happy to give up their evening to squeeze in a tiny pit to cover three songs. That said the songs are long and Mr. Hawley is not the most animated performer so all the photographers seem fairly happy with the result.

Maybe it’s years of being a session musician that has made Hawley the humble person who he is today, or at least that’s how he acts on stage as he sarcastically thanks the leaving photographers for the effort asking if we have got what we came for! Photographing musicians perform live can be tough and the quieter and more intense the harder it can be, so covering Hawley tonight was no mean feat.

Hawley who was an original member of the Britpop indie band “The Long Pigs” in the mid 90’s has also featured as a member of Pulp and since then has become one of the most critically acclaimed singer songwriters in the UK with six solo albums and Mercury Nomination to his name.

Hawley took tonight’s gig at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush to announce that he is going to be collaborating with Elvis’s daughter “Lisa Marie Presley” and performed a track with her called “Weary” which they co-wrote thankfully this went down extremely well. It would appear that Hawley’s collaboration work is as much in demand as his solo work as it was recently announced that he is going to be working with Dame Shirley Bassey, no doubt who was impressed with the  work that he did with Tony Christie which re-launched his career after a 30 year hiatus.

Hawley started the set on a somber note opening with “As dawn breaks” the first track off his new album “Truelove’s Gutter” which came out in September. The song starts with the violinist in his string section play a long and mournful note on a garden saw, it’s amazing the sounds that you can get out of a well oiled tool! Truelove’s Gutter is by far Hawley’s most rounded album with strong musical references to fellow Sheffield musician “Nick Drake” as well as his song writing idols “Scott Walker” and “Roy Orbison”  and although not being as orchestral as previous albums such as “Coles Corner” shows real depth and a unique charisma.

Despite not being the most dynamic  performer the show tonight was utterly mesmerising and demonstrated Hawley’s ability to recreate his  ethereal songs in large venue. Highly recommended and worth checking out live. For information on his dates visit http://www.richardhawley.co.uk/live/

Despite being just over 15 years old the Mercury Music Prize has become a musical institution which is widely lampooned for it’s choice of obscure nominations. However unlike most of the other mainstream awards such as The Brits and MTV Awards more often than the nominations get the much needed media exposure which otherwise would have been impossible. I was lucky enough to attend the first Mercury Music Award back in 1992 with the then prizewinner Primal Scream, I returned the following year with another winning band Suede and since then have made a point to follow all it every year.

This year the clever money was on either La Roux or Florence and the Machine, both of whom had produced excellent debut albums however few would had expected the South London rapper known as Speech Debelle to win the award who prior to that had sold less than 3,000 albums.  Tonight’s show at the Scala was an indication of her success with over 20 photographers squeezed into a tiny pit. The last time I had seen the venue as busy was when Glasvegas played after their album reaching Number 1.

Musically Speech Debelle is very interesting having more in common with the old school rap bands from New York rather than the likes of Dizzy Rascal or Ms Dynamite (another Mercury winner).  The jazz influences are very strong and if Acid Jazz were still around I would have imagined that she would have been snapped up a long time ago. That said sounding like “A Tribe Called Quest” is no bad thing and rapping about what you and know and are sincere about is more compelling and moving than fast cars, Rolex’s and yachts in St Tropez.

The songs from her album are very good and On Bad Boy she focuses on the suburban hoodlum, whose “mind believes he’s a product of the things he’s seen/Nobody told him he’s as free as the air he breathes”. In  The Key,  which is her best known track she demonstrates positive confidence brimming with optimism underpinned by a jazzy groove which Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five would have been proud of.

Time will tell what will become of  Corynne Elliot however I am expecting some interesting albums in the future.

Written by John Rahim