Every year we invite Allan to share some of his gig photos from the year and then wait to see how he decides to categorises them. He also likes to give some background for the shots as well, whether it’s about the artists, technical photo stuff or having a bit of a whinge about the lighting at the venue. Let’s see what happens this time.

After a few years of pointing cameras at people on various stages around the UK, as well as meeting and working with lots of new people, you find yourself working with artists that you build a relationship with over time. It can be an interesting challenge making different images with the same person over a period of time and, I say this way too often, but I like a challenge. These are all shots of artists that have featured in previous High Fives. And actually, the lighting was pretty good in all of these venues.

Amy Taylor

It’s less than two years since I first saw Amy Taylor playing at a So Live Sessions showcase in Dalston. I see a lot of live music and it’s very rare that I see anything that’s bad, but it’s equally rare that I see anyone who completely blows me away; Amy was one of those people. She’s a gifted songwriter and a superb performer, supporting her powerhouse voice with either piano or guitar backing. I shot Amy many times during 2022 before she started to vocal cord problems in the autumn of that year. It’s been a long haul, but she finally started to perform live again in June 2023. I think she probably only gave it 97% but she sounded great and she’s still getting better.

Barbara ‘Basia’ Bartz

I first met Basia as part of Dana Immanuel and the Stolen Band when they played at my birthday party in 2017. I’ve shot the band many times since then and in many different locations. I’ve also shot Basia solo and working with other bands. There’s something about the shape that violinists make when they play that just works photographically and Basia’s quite a physical performer so something good usually happens the camera points in her direction. This shot was from a sold-out Dana Immanuel gig at Green Note in January 2023.

Si Connelly

It’s only a couple of years since I first shot Si Connelly and since that time, I’ve tried to shoot as many of his gigs in London as possible. This one was completely unplanned; I went a Success Express gig at The Pheasantry and saw Si, who was up in town celebrating his birthday. Of course, he did a cameo support set and of course I shot it. It was an obvious monochrome shot because he looked a bit fifties on the night, maybe even just a little bit Elvis. Anyway it worked for me and Si liked it as well, which is always nice to hear.

Say Anise

I first met Emily (who is Say Anise, or part of Say Anise now) at a Caffe Nero event in Brighton. We kept bumping into each other at gigs and then I started making an effort to get to gigs where I knew she was playing. One of the reasons I like Emily is that she will always do something a bit different;  a look, a movement or an interaction with one of the band members. I first saw Emily solo, then working with long-term collaborator Easymess, then as trio with HUX on backing vocals and then on electric bass as well. I didn’t try to correct for the lighting in this shot because it gave the shot a Miles Davis ‘Kind of Blue’ feel.

KAT

Sometimes you get on with someone straight away they’re a genuinely nice person. KAT’s one of those people. We’ve worked together on various things as she’s progressed through her musical career, including gigs and behind-the-scenes shoots on her video productions. Like Say Anise, she’s also worked her way through various musical incarnations from acoustic duo to full rock band. Her songs are powerful explorations of issues like physical domestic violence and gaslighting and she puts everything into her live performances. This shot’s from her debut appearance with her new band at the legendary rock venue, The Fiddler’s Elbow.

I see a lot of artists performing live on the independent London circuit; most of them are good, some of them are great and occasionally you hear something that blows you away. I’ve had a couple of those over the last few years; one of them was the first time I saw Si Connelly play a band set live at Hope and Anchor in November 2021. What I saw left me absolutely stunned; a performer who took the stage in a basement in Islington and held nothing back in his playing and vocals and he was photographic gold; so expressive and so committed. I was hooked and I’ve caught as many of his shows as I can since then, including the launch for his latest album ‘Nevertheless’ a couple of weeks ago. at Blues Kitchen in Brixton.

In 2022, Si released an EP every month and he’s moved on to albums this year. To say he’s prolific as a songwriter is a huge understatement, but it’s not just about quantity; the songs are all superbly crafted and the performances, particularly the vocals, are out of the top drawer. About those vocals; Si’s range is exceptional, particularly at the high end and he uses it to great effect both in the studio and live. So, what about ‘Nevertheless’?

It’s an album that demonstrates the breadth of Si’s writing, playing and singing; from the big rock riff opener ‘Gimme More’ to album’s gentle closer ‘Sea of Change’ with its folk feel and stripped back vocal and acoustic guitar treatment. It’s a lot like Neil Young, moving seamlessly from introspective acoustic to rock-out electric. Si’s equally adept at either end of that scale.

There’s an art that great songwriters and performers have of incorporating influences without actually stealing anything and there are couple of great examples of this on ‘Nevertheless’. ‘Hold Me’, with its huge dynamic range is a nod in the general direction of Prince’s ‘Purple Rain’, while ‘How Do You Love Me’, with its sixties soul feel emphasised by the keyboard parts, hints at the lyrical structure of Sam Cooke’s ‘You Send Me’ repeating lines with slight changes as the verse unfolds.

If you need an introduction to Si’s work, ‘Nevertheless’ isn’t a bad place to start. It features rock, soul and acoustic elements and demonstrates Si’s powerful use of dynamics while showcasing his exceptional voice. It’s a great piece of work but I can’t leave this without saying that you can only get the full Si Connelly experience by seeing him play live either solo or with his band – that’s an experience you won’t regret and you won’t forget.

‘Nevertheless’ is out now on all of the digital platforms.

Find it here on Spotify:

Here’s the video for ‘Winter’s Song’:

Guitarists; like Madonna, they love to strike a pose, don’t they? It’s all very well playing great solos, but you have to look good at the same time because you might have a halfway decent photographer at the gig. I don’t think it’s an ego thing, I think it’s subliminally taught at the various pop/rock schools and colleges – who teaches guitar players at those institutions? Yep, older and more experienced guitar players. Here are a few shots that either confirm or subvert those plank-spanker stereotypes.

Si Connelly @Water Rats

What I really like about this shot of Si is that he’s so still. Anyone who has seen him live will know that he’s a bit like Taz on stage; a complete whirlwind, throwing his guitar around and kneeling on the stage, but I managed to capture him perfectly lit, with nice contrast and upright. Si’s an incredible performer and it was good to catch him taking a little time out.

Dan Owen @Crypt Lates, St Martin-in-the-Fields

Dan Owen is a master of his instrument, whether he’s playing acoustic or electric you can guarantee that you’re going to hear something special. His raw voice is perfectly suited to the songs he delivers. He’s also a very physical player who likes a bit of a stomp around on stage while he’s playing, which means that there are a few dramatic moments to capture. Here’s one of his characteristic stomps.

Matthew, The Molotovs @229 The Venue

While we’re on the subject of raw energy, how about The Molotovs? Matthew, Issey and Ice are all under eighteen and still developing as a band at the moment as they write more of their own songs. When they hit the stage some magic happens as the adrenaline kicks in and Ice’s pounding drums and Issey’s thumping bass create a platform for Matthew’s singing and playing as he whirls and leaps around the stage. There’s a lot happening on stage and it’s just a question of having the camera pointed in the right direction at the right time. The shot works quite well in black and white, but the warm colours and contrasts really work in colour.

Daybreakers @Slim Jim’s Liquor Store

Sometimes you get results because you’re having to work around things like lighting that’s not ideal and lots of people on a small stage. I found a nice shooting angle (which meant I got a nudge every time someone went downstairs to the toilets) but it paid off when Aidan, the guest guitar player and bass player Conor Cotterill all had the necks of their guitars at slightly different angles to create a bit of structure out of a very busy scene. The expression on the guest player’s face is the icing on the cake.

Joanne Shaw Taylor @Shepherd’s Bush Empire

This was a last-minute thing. My friend Richard Bolwell from MNPR magazine couldn’t make the gig and asked me if I was available to cover it. I hadn’t seen Joanne play before and I always like a pit shoot at The Empire. Except it was cabaret seating and no pit, so the order of the day was keeping out of the way of the people in the expensive seats at the front and grabbing a few interesting shots. The positives were that the lighting was perfect and Joanne is incredibly photogenic. Probably one of my favourite shots of the year.

Here’s Allan talking about some of the artists he encountered in the important half of 2021; that’s the half when we had live music again.

I may have said this before, particularly if I’ve met you at a gig, but I love gig photography. Apart from the obvious aspect of actually taking pictures, there’s a whole social scene around gigs. I’ve met some wonderful people on the gig scene, artists, managers, promoters, venue managers, security staff; you name it. It’s taken me to all sorts of venues, from the larger venues with photo pits to the small rooms where one of the major concerns is not obstructing the view of paying customers. These are the sort of venues where you see artists for the first time and where, sometimes, you discover artists that make an instant impact. I’ve seen a few of those over the last few years and, even in a truncated 2021, I’ve seen a few more. Here are a few of them. I thoroughly recommend seeing all four of these performers live. Spoiler alert – one of my five isn’t a performer.

Kat Neocleous

Kat’s a very gifted and versatile performer. She sings, acts, does journalism and works as a presenter on London Greek Radio. She’s now learning to play drums. I met Kat on social media a while ago, then bumped into her unexpectedly at a gig I was shooting at Pizza Express. Soon after that I shot her supporting The Lapels in Finsbury Park, and then at her sold-out headline gig at The Camden Chapel. Kat’s music is soulful; r’n’b with a splash of pop and hugely influenced by the confessional singer-songwriter tradition. Her voice is strong and I’m positive she has perfect pitch – her live performances are something special, even when backed by just one guitar. Her songs are powerful

and she knows how to deliver them to maximum effect. One of the highlights of her Camden Chapel show was her relatively new song “Warrior Heart” which is the headline track for her upcoming “Warrior Heart” EP.

Si Connelly

I’d heard a lot about Si Connelly over the last couple of years but somehow always seemed to miss his gigs because of clashes. 2021 was the year when I finally managed to put that right. Everything I’d ever heard about Si was really positive; I wasn’t disappointed when I finally got to see him at the Hope & Anchor in November (amazingly, my first shoot at the iconic venue) at a Success Express event. I’d thought of Si as mainly an acoustic guitar player (don’t ask me why), but he came on stage with a band and a Strat and proved that he’s a gifted electric guitar player. I saw him a few weeks later doing an (almost) solo acoustic set where he played acoustic guitar and piano. His songs are strong, but what really stands out with Si is his performance. He gives everything onstage, personifying the Andy Murray quote “Leave nothing out there.” From a photographer’s point of view, he’s one of those artists that you instantly know is going to do interesting things. I’ve shot Si at two gigs and I haven’t put the cameras down for a second during his sets. He’s visually and sonically stunning.

Brooke Law I first saw Brooke as a solo acoustic performer at the Talentbanq Eccleston Yards sessions over the summer (which are still continuing even in the deep midwinter). She did a solo acoustic set which convinced me of a couple of things. First that she’s a hugely gifted writer and performer and second that I wanted to photograph her under stage lighting. She’s lively on stage, very watchable and just looks like a rock star. Since then, I’ve had a couple of opportunities to shoot live photos, firstly at Folklore in Hackney and secondly at the Girl on Fire all-dayer at Blues Kitchen in Brixton. Both of these gigs featured her full band and demonstrated that she can perform like a rock star as well as looking like one. I’m not sure that she’s settled yet on her musical direction (I think she’s leaning towards indie/rock, but she’s already had a country hit, so who knows); whichever path she chooses, I suspect she’ll do very well.

Vincent Bugozi Vincent’s from Tanzania and he’s a force of nature. He’s an enthusiastic and energetic performer who knows exactly how to play a room. I saw him first at a charity gig at Leyton Orient Football Club (where I’d only ever been as a visiting supporter) where he and his band were dressed in suits from Tanzania that were as lively as his performance and were perfectly suited to the bouncing African rhythms of his songs. He loves to get off stage and mingle with his audience, using his extrovert radar to pick out willing participants for his performance. It certainly worked at The Orient because he picked out Nuala, one of the earlier performers on the bill. It definitely worked at The Bedford at the end of November, as you can see above. If you want to see an artist that throws everything into his performance and creates a party whenever he plays, go and see Vincent.

Laura McKay, Band Manager

Not an artist this time, but a manager and an interesting story. I had a message on Facebook from a Laura McKay. My first thought was that my sister’s FB account had been hacked (she’s also called Laura) but when I checked the mutual friends I realised that this was a genuine person involved in the music business. You can’t leave a coincidence like that hanging, so I got back to Laura and told her about the coincidence. Here’s the best bit of the story – Laura told me that people in the business had been asking her if she had a brother who was a photographer. I’ve now photographed both of the bands that Laura manages, Sins and The Slacksons (see, I managed to get new bands in there) and I’m looking forward to working with her again in the future. Got to love the independent music scene. The photo is with Sins outside The Fiddler’s Elbow in Camden.

If you live in the UK, go and see any of the bands or artists I’ve mentioned; they’re all great and passionate about what they do. You might even be able to buy me a beer to thank me for the recommendation.