LIVE music photography

2009 has been a very good year for James Morrison. Back in March I saw and photographed James Morrison at the Hammersmith Apollo, which at the time was his biggest gig.  So six months later I’m back photographing James Morrison this time however this time at Wembley Arena which is around four times of the size of Hammersmith Apollo.

I have not been a huge a fan of James Morrison however recently I have been listing to his second album “Songs for you, Truths for me” which is a very well crafted album demonstrates real depth in his song writing ability which is quite remarkable considering that he’s only 25 years old. Tonight’s gig was sold out which is quite an achievement considering that Morrison’s music is probably better suited to smaller, more intimate venues and that his repertoire only consists of two albums.  The gig however was excellent and Morrison immediately struck up a rapport with the audience which can be very difficult at a venue the size of Wembley Arena. He kicked the set off with “The Only Night” the first song of his second album and played songs off both of his two albums during the 90 minute set.
Morrison cites his musically influences as Van Morrison, Al Green and Otis Reading and in many respects his raspy vocals and technique is as individual as many of his heroes. In a time when the music scene is full of X Factor and manufactured artists it’s good to see an artist such as James Morrison who combines commercial appeal with classic song writing skills.
For further information on his forthcoming arena concerts in the UK across December  please visit http://www.myspace.com/jamesmorrisonmusic

Written by John Rahim

In addition to photographing John Norum I was back at Gibson’s studios in the afternoon photographing the Guns & Roses and Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash. Slash was over at Gibson’s showroom for a playback of his forthcoming debut solo album as well conducting a number of interviews with various rock magazines. Originally I was told that I’d have 5 minutes with Slash to take a number of pictures for Gibson Guitar’s promotional use however, in the end I only spent around a minute with him before he was shuttled off for his next interview.

Unfortunately I didn’t get the breadth of the shots that I would have wanted however I found Slash very friendly, accommodating  and down to earth. His debut solo album “Slash and Friends” which is produced by the Queens of the Stoneage and Lostprophets producer Eric Valentine is out in March next year. The album features a wide range of collaborators including Ozzy Ozbourne and Fergie amongst others and includes Josh Homme behind the drumkit.

Written by John Rahim

On the 2nd of November I was asked to visit Gibson Guitar Studio and take some promotional pictures of John Norum, the guitarist and one of the founding members of the Swedish rock band “Europe”. The band  best known for their 1986 album “The Final Countdown” are back with a new album “Last Look at Eden” which came out in September to critical acclaim.

The band are currently on tour and are playing across Europe and the UK until the end of March 2010. For information on their dates check out http://www.europetheband.com/tourdates.html

Is it just me or are the Noisettes the most irritating band of 2009? I first saw them live supporting the Sterophonic’s at one of the TCT gigs earlier in the year and hated them. Second time around they are even worse. In my opinion bands who break through licensing songs to car adverts are best to be avoided as is any band who have been to the Brit School in Croydon which is responsible for producing the biggest load of dross since SAW.

I recently read that Shingai Shoniwa’s Flamboyant performances are said to be a result of circus training had she only eloped with John Major the world would have been a happier place.

Written by John Rahim

I guess The Big Pink are one of those bands who seem to be everywhere at the moment. Their credentials are far too cool however somehow they manage to pull it off. I picked up their debut album “A Brief History of Love” which is one of the best debuts that I have heard in years. Ok the references scream of the early 80’s, Jesus and Mary Chain, Cocteau Twins however for some reason it works perfectly. A lot of the reviews that I have read recently would indicate a bit of a backlash however the show tonight was very enjoyable. Funnily enough their best known single “Dominios” is probably the weakest track on the album with “Velvet” being the strongest.

The band have been recently opening for The Pixies and all accounts have been well receieved. Time will tell if they will become as influential as previous bands signed to 4AD however they should not be written off just yet.

The Big Pink performing live on French TV, somewhere!

Written by John Rahim