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.

Here’s a few more of Allan’s pictures from 2021. These ones were all shot in conditions that weren’t particularly suitable for gig photography, but we’ll let Allan tell you all about that.

It’s probably my most over-used phrase – “I like a challenge”. It’s code for “How am I going to get a usable image in these conditions?” My answer is usually “shapes and shadows”. All of the images here were shot in venues with similar challenges. In fact, three of them were shot in the same venue, The Crypt at St Martin in the Fields, just off Trafalgar Square at a new series of events, Jazz Lates and Folk Lates promoted by Talentbanq. Along with usual problems of low lighting levels and cabaret seating, The Crypt has another problem; the huge pillars which hold up the church. Sightlines aren’t very good at all and when people are for a view of the stage, it’s not good etiquette for a photographer to block that view. Anyway, on with the show.

James Sayer @ St Martin in the Fields 06/10/21

After grabbing a few average performance shots, I started to look around for something a little bit different and stumbled across an idea while trying get a full band landscape format shot. Looking at the shot on the camera screen, it was suddenly obvious that the subject was the building itself and the band on the stage was just context. The penny had dropped and all I had to do was find the right viewpoint to capture the symmetry and the sense of perspective created by the receding arches. All that was left to crop to a square format to create a nice atmospheric shot.

Iago Banet @ The Old Joinery  04/09/21 Iago’s a good friend and brilliant Galician finger-style guitar player (he’s a great rock player as well), so when he invited me along to his headlining show at The Old Joinery in September this year it was a no-brainer. The performance space is in a cellar (my theme tune this year should be “Going Underground”, which wouldn’t be a bad thing) and has the classic combination of cabaret seating and low-level lighting, which isn’t always in helpful colours. Usual story, grab a few shots where things look about right and start to look around for a new angle to create something a bit different. I’m a big fan of looking away from front and centre for interesting things going on. It worked; on the wall behind the stage, was a shadow that was recognisable as Iago, apparently stealing his beer. An interesting image and one that we still have a laugh about.

Tom Holder @ St Martin in the Fields 17/11/21

Another night in The Crypt and I’m thinking of changing my name to Bobby ‘Boris’ Pickett. After the successful launch of the monthly Jazz Lates, Talentbanq launched Folk Lates with the brilliant Dunwells supported by Hollie Rogers and Tom Holder. I’ve photographed Hollie and Tom loads of times and they’re great photographic subjects on stage, but the usual challenges apply. So get a few usable shots and find something a novel. Tom was particularly badly lit at the side of the stage and after a couple of circuits of the room and backstage, the realization hit me. Tom has very distinctive hair and a shot from behind the stage with Tom lit from the front would work. I think it did, and it also highlight the architecture of the building.

Jackson Mathod Pizza Express Dean Street 16/09/21

Pizza Express has a long-standing reputation for live music, particularly at this branch in Soho and I was particularly happy to be invited along by So Live Sessions to shoot an evening featuring jazz trumpeter Jackson Mathod. There are many things that make the venue congenial for music fans; the intimacy, the low lighting and good food. The waiting staff are incredibly efficient. Combine that with the venue’s intimacy and you find that every time you find a square foot to shoot from, you’re dodging 80 mph Margheritas coming from all sides. I like a challenge. Looking around for some context to help create something a bit different, I discovered a mural that had potential. After a bit of shuffling around and high-speed pizza avoidance, I found an angle and this was the result.

The Tom Seals Band @ St Martin in the Fields 03/11/21

Back in The Crypt again and the same challenges as above. The sax player in the Tom Seals Band (and I’m sorry but I didn’t get his name) was standing in the same place as Tom Holder did two weeks later but this time the lighting was a very Miles Davis/John Coltrane kind of blue. It took a while to realise that that the contrast meant that I wouldn’t get the player let perfectly but that I could create a decent moody silhouette from it that would have a jazz feel. It needed a bit of work at the editing stage, but I was pleased with the end result.