I’ve been landed with editorial duties on this one, so I can explain how this particular theme came about. For various reasons, I’ve not been able to get to the big festivals this year but I’ve done quite a few local multi-site festivals with lots of indoor gigs going on. Maybe the artists aren’t as well known as those on the stages at Cornbury, Glastonbury, Isle of Wight or Reading/Leeds, but they’re still incredibly interesting people to photograph. These are all people totally committed to what they do and I hope the photos capture that. These are people that may only ever be known on their own local music scene, or they may go on to achieve international recognition. You might have an idea about their potential, but how often have we all been wrong with those predictions? As always, these are in no particular order.

The Slacksons @Hanwell Hootie

The Slacksons are a fascinating band from Bristol centred around producers Mikey and Andy combining samples and live musicians to create a barnstorming live experience fronted up by manic singer/rapper Mikey. I was invited along to this gig at The Hanwell Hootie by Darkspin Music Management, who look after The Slacksons after shooting the band at another couple of gigs – that was a no-brainer. Even without stage lighting, the band creates lots of striking imagery and Mikey and Andy aren’t camera shy and the monochrome editing and tight crop capture something of Mikey’s onstage intensity.

Bad Soul Buskers @Leek Blues & Americana Festival

Every year at the beginning of October the town of Leek in Staffordshire hosts a five day festival with live music in the town’s two gig venues and various pubs around the town. There’s a huge variety of music from established touring acts and visitors from the US to bands featuring musicians from the area around Leek. The town’s in the Staffordshire Moorlands, about 600 feet above sea level and it can be bloody cold at that time of year – just sayin’. This year I made a conscious decision to only shoot the pub gigs, partly to give myself a bit of a challenge. Gigs in pubs that aren’t set up for gigs is definitely a challenge. Bad Soul Buskers was the first band I shot, at The Red Lion on the Market Square. I quite like a bit of eye contact in close-ups and I definitely got that here from the singer, who really likes the shot.

Jim Maving @High Tide Festival, The Cabbage Patch

Jim’s a stunning guitar player that I’ve been bumping to at gigs for a few years now, working with people like Dean Owens, Lou Kyme and his old Case Hardin bandmate Pete Gow. He also played in The Mick Ralphs Blues Band. And I just need to say at this point that he’s a bloody good bloke as well. I’ve photographed Jim in many settings from pubs to theatre gigs, in monochrome and in colour and he always looks good. Makes me a bit jealous really, particularly as he’s such a brilliant player. This particular gig was mostly indoors (the picture windows opened out on to the street, so the lighting was kind of interesting. Unusually for Jim, this gig was all about his own material and he was holding centre stage. Superb performance delivered as always, and I liked this shot of Jim pulling the audience in to the experience.

Hannah White @High Tide Festival, The Cabbage Patch

I first saw Hannah four and a half years ago at ‘Vin’s Night In’ at The Hospital Club. My first impression was that her songs provoked strong reactions – what’s the point in songwriting if it doesn’t provoke a reaction. I’ve photographed her a few times since, particularly over the last year, and discovered how committed Hannah and husband, and guitar player, Keiron Marshall are to music (running The Sound Lounge live venue and organising the first Folk in the Park event in Sutton this summer) and to environmental causes. She also gives everything when she’s on stage and she’s a very interesting person to photograph.

I like to see talent being rewarded (and good people). Hannah’s a great songwriter and a heart-rending performer in a classic country tradition, so it didn’t come as a surprise when Ricky Ross played Hannah on his ‘Another Country’ show in Scotland after a recommendation and then invited Hannah & Keiron to play as support on his solo UK tour. And the accolades for her latest, appropriately named, album ‘About Time’ keep coming in. I’m sure there’s more to come.

Stoneash Blues Band @Leek Blues & Americana Festival

This was shot at The Wellington Inn on Strangman Street in Leek. It’s a pub that features live music, but as an add-on so it’s a challenge to get decent lighting and backgrounds, not for the first time, or the last. Stoneash Blues Band is typical of a many of the local bands playing at this event; it’s all about the music. Most of these people do this for love and not because they have any expectation of ever becoming rich on the back of it. This band had all the chops, timing coming from years of gigs, loads of little anecdotes and a singer with a voice that was honey over gravel. What more do you want from a free gig?

We like to try something different now and again. It’s the challenge. Allan, as we probably know likes a challenge, which gig photography always provides. This year, as new connections have been made with artists and managers, opportunities have come up to try a few other things away from stage performance. And why not? Over to Allan.

Eleni (Echo Wants her Voice Back) Camden Chapel soundcheck

I’ve photographed Eleni a few times over the last few years and she’s a joy to shoot. Her face is always animated and her wardrobe is always striking. And the music – it’s a mixture of pop, r’n’b and Hellenic Noir and it’s very dramatic. Add to that Eleni’s striking and powerful voice and some unusual arrangements and you have a potent mix. When she played the intimate Talentbanq venue The Camden Chapel in January this year, I turned up for the soundcheck to grab a few shots in a fairly relaxed environment. Even at a soundcheck, Eleni’s still a performer.

Nicky (Morganway) 229 Soundcheck

Another Talentbanq gig at a slightly bigger venue than The Chapel. This one was a celebration of Talentbanq’s fifth birthday and Morganway, one of my favourite bands, was playing so it was an opportunity for a catch-up and another chance to shoot an incredibly dynamic band in action. Soundchecks, apart from the full band run-through, can be a bit tedious for band and onlookers alike but there can be some gold there if you keep looking for it. Nicky (Nicole J Terry) is Morganway’s violinist (or fiddle player, however you call it). On stage she’s a bundle of pure energy, playing, singing and dancing as if her life depended on it. After doing a quick line check for her violin and vocals, Nicky took an opportunity to relax as the stage light were being set up. She was completely relaxed, which would have made a nice photo, but I was able to line the shot up with a light shining from directly behind, which really made it ping.

The Slacksons, Hanwell Hootie post-gig

I’ve shot The Slacksons a few times now as well. Their crowd-pleasing blend of samples and live instruments with Mikey and Andy out front pinballing around the stage make them a great live attraction. I first met the band through one of those weird music business coincidences – their manager has the same name as my sister, so obviously when we connected on social media, I thought my sister’s account had been hacked. So I ended up shooting a few of the band’s gigs including their appearance at he Hanwell Hootie this summer. We decided to do some post-gig pictures which involved about two minutes shooting and forty-five minutes rounding up the band. I liked this shot with their manager making an appearance as well.

Kat ‘Liar, Liar’ video shoot

Kat, like Eleni, is a singer-songwriter and actor (also a radio presenter). I’ve shot a few of her gigs and got an invite to do some behind-the-scenes photos at the shoot for the video of her single ‘Liar, Liar’ in April. Not something I’d done before but I’m always ready to take on something new. If I’m honest, it’s a bit like a soundcheck, you just keep your eyes open for anything interesting, keep out of shot and don’t cast any shadows on the shot. Kat’s another person I love to photograph, mainly because the results are always good. You can probably see what I mean.

Lyndon Morgans & Phil Burdett, St Pancras Old Church

Bit of a change of style here. I’ve known Phil for a few years now and he introduced me to Lyndon (Songdog) just before the plague. When I heard about this gig I was really pleased because I haven’t shot Lyndon before. Only one problem, I already had gig that night, shooting Stone Foundation and Graham Parker at Koko. Fortunately the two venues are only a few minutes apart and the Stone Foundation gig had an early curfew so I had a swift walk over to SPOC to catch the end of Lyndon’s set. We went back to The Green Room to speak to Lyndon and the obvious photo opportunity came up. Here’s one of the results.

A couple of bonuses

Here’s a couple that are almost gig photos. After Kat’s launch party for the ‘Liar,Liar’ gig at Piano, the band was so up that I had to try to capture the moment. The Morganway shot, from the same gig as the earlier shot of Nicky was planned in advance because I’d always wanted to take one of those shots at the end of a gig from the drum riser. The lighting wasn’t ideal and there was too much smoke bit I still like the moment the photo captures.

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.