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 wider view and capture something that says rock’n’roll and electric guitars playing way up loud I saw more bands than usual this year, in bigger venues, so here’s a tribute to the founders of the electric guitar tradition, Leo Fender and Les Paul.
Amber T
Amber T has been singing live since she was eight years old and started to release music when she was fifteen. She has a phenomenal voice, has been praised by Elton John and she’s sung live at Carrow Road before the Norwich and Stoke City game in September 2023. Not a bad cv even before you get to all of the single releases. Her singles are big productions but she can do the gentle acoustic guitar stuff as well. This shot was from her self-curated Galentine’s Night (I think that’s self-explanatory) at The Camden Club this year:
Nia Heart
If you want to hear grungy, loud guitar music, then the Hope and Anchor’s not a bad place to be. It’s full of echoes of bands that have played there over the last fifty years. Nia Heart came over from Cardiff to play her first ever band gig and, while it wasn’t slick and perfect, she played her set with a huge amount of energy and attack as this photo shows. I’m hoping for another chance to shoot them soon:
Emily Capell
The first time I photographed Emily was at The Isle of Wight Festival in 2017. It was obvious she was a highly individual talent with musical influences ranging from doo-wop to punk and a visual style influenced by either the B52s or the sixties stylings they adopted. It all adds to the eclecticism of her performance. Emily’s very engaging on and off stage and she was an inspired opening act for Stone Foundation at the end of their 25th anniversary tour at Islington Assembly Hall. She gained a few fans over those two nights and was really nice about some of my photos. I’ll take that any time:
My subconscious must have been working overtime when I compiled these shots because I first saw Sam at The Isle of Wight in 2017 when he was playing bass with Elle Exxe’s band. Since then, our paths have crossed and recrossed. The strangest was when he was playing with Belle Roscoe on a narrowboat in Hackney Wick at the start of a guerilla canal tour. When I see him at gigs now, it’s never a surprise. Earlier this year, he was playing bass for Levina at Water Rats. Getting good bass player shots can be a challenge because of the length of the neck (on the bass, not the player). Sam helpfully plays with the bass neck angled up to make the framing easier. He’s that kind of guy:
Beth McCarthy
This was shot at a gig where Beth supported Natalie Shay at Omeara in March. She’s a natural performer who keeps photographers on their toes as she moves constantly around the stage. She throws some fabulous shapes but you have to catch them quickly before zooms into the next one and the next one as her lyrics explore her evolving sexuality. Everything moves very quickly so you have to be on the ball and keep the shutter firing so you don’t miss anything:
