The Mars Volta
Shooting Mars Volta at the Tivoli would usually be a great night. Unfortunately we weren’t given much to work with. One song, and as I made my way to a position slightly right of the lead mic, I was tapped on the shoulder and told to get behind the easily missed pink tape that had been stuck to either side of the photo pit. Essentially meaning we were now shooting side and front of stage, rather than making any use of the pit.
I took a peek at the set list to see if the news would get any better. Inertiatic ESP, not a bad song if you can only shoot one. The sound was energetic and powerful, but sadly the movement and presence was not. The Mars Volta are a band known for their wild stage antics, unfortunately there were none for the camera in what was a very tame performance of a great song.
Sunset Sounds 2010 – Day 2
I had been looking forward to the Yeah Yeah Yeahs since as long as I knew I would be shooting Sunset Sounds, them and Editors of course. Neither act disappointed and both retain their place as personal favorites both in album and live.
Karen O did not take long to demonstrate to the crowd (one of the thickest crowds I’ve ever seen in the Riverstage, possibly only followed by the epic Muse performance in 2007) why she is one of the most badass front-women in rock. She moved about the stage with reckless abandon, crying out with a satanic rock tongue. In her quiet songs the devil tonsils subsided to reveal an angelic voice. Perhaps strepsils could jump on this for an advertising campaign?
Vocals aside Karen O and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs are fantastic to shoot, there is no shortage of energy, colour and drama. I was also blessed on the day with seeing one of my favorite bands Editors. To be frank I was so absorbed with the photographic process I don’t recall many details about the first 3 songs played, however once out of the pit I quickly joined the crowd to watch the rest of what was an incredibly impressive performance. Favorites such as The Racing Rats, Smokers Outside the Hospital Doors, Bullets and Munich were performed with a power and clarity that was absorbing.
Front-man Tom Smith I found quite interesting. While watching and photographing him perform I very quickly got the feeling that his movement on stage reminded me of autism, and in some instances, echolalia. I thought this was somewhat odd of me until discussions with another photographer revealed they thought the exact same thing. There is autism in my family so it is something I am close to and very familiar with.
Other performances I photographed on the day included a stellar performance from The Temper Trap, Hungry Kids Of Hungary, and the incredibly fun King Khan & The Shrines.
Sunset Sounds 2010 – Day 1
Sunset Sounds day 1 was headlined by Moby, who took me by great surprise with his energy and level of performance. I was expecting to see a nerdy looking bald guy, chilled out, and mixing tracks with some laptops. What I got was a Moby who played primarily as a lead guitarist, full of aggression and determined to put on a memorable performance for the massive crowd at the Brisbane Riverstage.
Although Moby sings himself in a few tracks and definitely adds to the banter with the crowd, he allows others to do the vocal heavy lifting. It works incredibly well live and allows him to focus on keeping up energy levels and ensuring the spectacle is visual and audible.
Throughout the day I was also lucky enough to photograph lots of other talented bands; Dappled Cities, Datarock (always great to photograph), Emiliana Torrini, Kaki King, Hilltop Hoods and Seasick Steve. Kaki King in particular created one of my favorite images of the day, giving her best impression of a New Yorker being encouraged to dance. Beyond impressions you have likely heard that she is an incredibly talented guitarist (Dave Grohl believes her the best right now in-fact) and that would be correct. Jump on youtube and check it out.
Q150 Proclamation Day Concert
What better way to celebrate 150 years of Queensland being a state than to hold a concert curated by Queensland’s most famous band of recent times, Powderfinger. For a mere $25 dollars the concert became one of the best buys of the season, allowing punters to view not only Powderfinger in full flight but also The Cairos, The Middle East, Yves Klein Blue, and even more excitingly, a once only reformation of the revered Brisbane band Custard. As if that weren’t enough concert goers were also treated to a copy of Powderfinger’s new album, which would cost $25 in any shop anyway.
As a fan of Custard’s upfront and often witty rock I was there to see them, and they delivered busting out plenty of crowd pleasers including the classic ‘Apartment’. The band didn’t miss a beat, frontman Dave McCormack exchanging banter with other band members like they had been playing together every day for the last 10 years. One musically uneducated older crowd member (clearly there for Powderfinger) quipped that the band must think they are Nirvana! Not a comparison I have ever heard before or since, but amusing none the less.
Part of me as a music photographer looked forward to seeing Powderfinger as I had noticed some elaborate lighting equipment set up on the outskirts of the stage for the special show. Bernard Fanning is also a very charismatic front man, which certainly makes a night of shooting go by a bit easier.
The light itself was fantastic with strong washes of colour pigmenting lucious smoke with good fill light provided by strong lights up front. Personally I think this is the best way to light concerts as the backdrop provides colour and a visual interest that compliments performance, where as the fill light fills the features of the performer, allows for a higher shutter speed to freeze action, and prevents any background colour washes from contaminating the performer’s too heavily, which may result in some pretty ugly combinations.
The Whitlams
Tim Freedman would have to be one of the most charismatic men in Australian music. This performance was no exception, exchanging with banter on a variety and richness of topics with various audience members in between songs performed at their best.
The lighting on the night was particularly poor with the majority of it coming from the side, and some significant white balancing was needed to bring back the skin tones.
British India
British India headlined a night of in your face rock with Dead Video and Black Mustang at the Tivoli.
I only took a couple of shots of Dead Video but one has stayed in my portfolio since, as it has such a great feel to it as if it could have been taken generations ago.
Also note the guy in the crowd who took his kit off during the performance and sat on his friends shoulders. That raises a few questions – first the night was freezing, so what was he thinking getting nude in it? Then how close a friend do you need to be to have your naked friends bits against your neck as you give him a piggy back. Interesting questions I don’t think I need answered.
Regurgitator
Regurgitator are one of Brisbane’s best live bands. Their style of music suits the live performance and crowd interaction so well that to watch them play to dedicated fans is a rare joy. Not only that but their music fills me with a sense of happy nostalgia.
The Ekka show was fantastic, it seemed that the large crowd was not interested in the festivities of the Ekka at all and came merely to see their idols put on a greatest hits show. I was thoroughly amused to watch the crowd sing along to “I will lick your arsehole”, something I was not quite sure would be replicated in the typically family friendly environment.
The lighting was also fantastic. I believe the lighting for the Ekka is put together by a company called Chameleon who specialise in touring light set-ups. They constantly combine great fill light with strobe effects and luscious fog, allowing the photographers to shoot at a good shutterspeed and adding colour and drama to the shots.
Yves Klein Blue
Yves Klein Blue was really starting to hit their live show straps as they put on this live show. Having shot them before, this time around they were much more polished and tight as a unit and put on a fun and energetic show.
Paul Dempsey
Paul Dempsey performed an amazing set which included some of his newly created solo pieces as well as classic songs from his band Something For Kate.
The lighting at the Troubadour is predominantly simple red light from the side (creating the side highlights on Paul Dempsey’s face above). With red light like this, it is hard to take a photo in which colour adds much. Knowing this I switched to monochrome and concentrated on capturing Paul Dempsey’s facial expressions and his intense eyes.
Bluejuice
Bluejuice and Paper Scissors perform at the Step Inn 1 June 2008. The performance was punctuated by Jake of Bluejuice (pictured) crowdsurfing, reaching the stage again, only to cut his hand open on a piece of glass that was on stage. It wasn’t a good day for Jake’s body, breaking his leg later that night/next morning. On a positive note it has led to their hit “Broken Leg” which has been getting regular radio play.
Dillinger Escape Plan
Dillinger Escape Plan bring their rampant live act to The Arena 19 May 2008. They are joined by Coliseum to get the night started.
Blueline Medic
Blue Line Medic at the Old Museum on 17 May 2008. Blueline Medic were also supported by Rialto Decibel Choir (the definite highlight of the night apart from Blueline Medic), Gifthorse, Art Vandelay and Arrows.
Young And Restless
Young and Restless performs at QPAC’s Cascade Court on 29 March 2008.
Although Young and Restless were the main reason I came to this free gig, as they are well known for their fiery live show, the lighting did become far more difficult for the headliners. The lighting consisted of either red lighting or blends of colours which don’t get along too well.
The above shot was taken by exploiting a huge spotlight that was on the opposite side of the stage. I came to the side and used the spotlight to create flare, while using the stage lighting as a fill light for the audience.
Postcards For Abby
Postcard For Abby performs at QPAC’s Cascade Court on 29 March 2008.
This was a free performance alongside Young and Restless and Flamingo Crash, and the light really came out for this particular act. I was able to shoot at a faster shutterspeed which was useful as the frontman of Postcards For Abby was making full use of the limit stage space, roaming from one side to the other, constantly gesturing with his hand.
For those music photographers that need to build a portfolio to try and start shooting for a publication, free gigs like this are perfect as the shooting rules are very flexible which allows for experimentation and capturing some of the key moments towards the end of a set.
Lior
Lior performs at The Tivoli on 28 March 2008. Lior was also joined for a duet by special guest Katie Noonan of George fame.
