‘Dark Harvest’ – Malcolm MacWatt
Spoiler alert; this is a cracking album. We haven’t reached the end of January yet and we’ve got the first five-star album. Malcolm MacWatt, with a few guest artists, has created a rounded and inspired piece of work that links Scottish and American music, historical and contemporary themes and political ideas spanning generations and centuries. Not only has Malcolm fused all of these ingredients to create a melodic and very thought-provoking album, he’s also tapped in to my own heritage as a Scottish expat who’s spent decades living in England while hanging on to those Celtic roots. It’s a powerful ...
’45 American Lies’ – Pawn Shop Saints
I may have mentioned that I love a challenge, but here’s one that I wasn’t expecting. I’ve never reviewed a triple album (bought a few in the vinyl era). Before The Clash released ‘Sandinista!’, the triple album was mainly a prog phenomenon with bands like Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer using the format for extended instrumental workouts. The Clash brought it all back to basics with a classic six songs per side over six sides. Jeb Barry’s Pawn Shop Saints have taken the Clash’s value for money concept even further with fifteen tracks per album – the maths is ...
High Fives 2023 (14) – Steve Jenner on gig hygiene
We like to get a Northern perspective from Steve but this time he’s raising some really important issues about hygiene that apply across the country. OK, it’s not a celebration of 2023, but it’s important and without getting too political, it’s all about a general relaxation of standards and lack of enforcement. Here we go: Now, then. My High Fives list this year is a strange one. I find that, due to the gigs I tend to go to and the fact that the live music-loving population seems to be getting older on average; or at least those with the disposable to ...
High Fives 2023 (13) – Something New
One of the many interesting things about the grass-roots scene is that new artists are constantly breaking through. We all like a bit of variety and Allan’s no exception whether it’s a new venue or a new artist. Here are some of the artists that he shot for the first time this year. I must admit that I would get really bored if I was just photographing the same people in the same venues every week, so it’s great to see new artists starting up, passing through on tour or moving to London; it keeps things fresh. Here are a few ...
High Fives 2023 (12) – Behind the Scenes
Here’s a few more shots from Allan with a slightly different twist this time; none of them are live performance shots. We’ll let him explain. I always like the challenge of doing something a little bit different; new artist, new venue, just change things up a bit. The shots featured below happened for a variety of reasons and the one thing they have in common is that they aren’t onstage shots. They’re all shot with available light and not really posed; it’s more about letting the artists arrange themselves and trying to capture the moment where it all works. The Velveteen Orkestra ...
More Featured Posts
High Fives 2023 (14) – Steve Jenner on gig hygiene
We like to get a Northern perspective from Steve but this time he’s raising some really important issues about hygiene that apply across the country. OK, it’s not a celebration of 2023, but it’s important and without getting too political, it’s all about a general relaxation of standards and lack of enforcement. Here we go: Now, then. My High Fives list this year is a strange one. I... [Read more]
High Fives 2023 (13) – Something New
One of the many interesting things about the grass-roots scene is that new artists are constantly breaking through. We all like a bit of variety and Allan’s no exception whether it’s a new venue or a new artist. Here are some of the artists that he shot for the first time this year. I must admit that I would get really bored if I was just photographing the same people in the same venues... [Read more]
High Fives 2023 (12) – Behind the Scenes
Here’s a few more shots from Allan with a slightly different twist this time; none of them are live performance shots. We’ll let him explain. I always like the challenge of doing something a little bit different; new artist, new venue, just change things up a bit. The shots featured below happened for a variety of reasons and the one thing they have in common is that they aren’t onstage... [Read more]
High Fives 2023 (11) – Four Strings & Six Strings
Time for a few more gig photos from Allan and there’s still some more in the pipeline. Over to Allan for a brief introduction. When I’m shooting gigs, my natural tendency is to try to get a portrait-like quality in the shots, to try to capture a moment, whether it’s animation or tranquility, that captures something of nature of the artist. Sometimes it’s an effort of will to take the... [Read more]
High Fives 2023 (10) – Creating the Opportunities
It’s time we used the High Fives to recognise some of the people who work incredibly hard to support independent and unsigned artists. In a business where the highest levels have a “dog-eat-dog” mentality, you might be surprised to discover that at grassroots level the approach is much more cooperative and collaborative. All of the people mentioned below have collaborated with others listed... [Read more]