Mon The Biffy!
I’m a big fan of Biffy Clyro, especially their latest album “Puzzle”, so I was pleased to get a call from Rock Sound magazine asking if I could shoot their Birmingham gig on Thursday night at the Academy.
My friend Dave Musson was covering it for Birmingham Live… or so we thought. His pass had been arranged through the support band and, on the night, he was informed he couldn’t shoot the headliners. I felt awful for him but it was lucky that I was there too as it meant we still had some images of Biffy for the review.
The band were spectacularly good and came on all guns blazin’ with some of my favourite tracks played while I was down the front photographing them.
This is almost certainly my last live gig of 2008 and was a great finale. I’ll be posting about my highlights of 2008 here soon but for now here are just some of my pictures of Biffy Clyro…
Elbow Live
One of my favourite albums of the year so far is “The Seldom Seen Kid” by Elbow. I’ve always been a fan but this album, for me, has taken them to a whole new level of songwriting. There isn’t a track on the album that I don’t love, and some are just incredible. The album won this year’s Mercury Music Prize and I can’t think of an album which deserves the honour more. If you haven’t heard it yet, do yourself a favour and check it out.
I’ve photographed Elbow before but this time I was excited not only to shoot them, but also to stay and watch the whole show. Evelyne’s a fan too so I booked a babysitter and we headed out for “date night”.
You can see my review of the gig on the Birmingham Live! site by clicking HERE but below are just a few of my favourite images from the gig..
Oasis in Birmingham
Being a music photographer in Birmingham means that I get to shoot bands on a regular basis and it’s a part of my job which I absolutely love (actually I love most parts of my job). Occasionally I do get to photograph bands which could be seen as iconic and, when I do, it’s an honour to add them to my portfolio.
Oasis are undoubtedly one of the most influential British bands of recent times so I was pleased to be one of only four photographers who got to shoot their gig at Birmingham NIA last night.
The atmosphere inside the venue was intense! Oasis fans are passionate about their heroes and many had indulged in a few light ales before the show and were in high spirits as Liam, Noel and the boys hit the stage. I got to shoot songs 2, 3 and 4 and came home with some great images, including one of Liam giving me his trademark snarl. Mad fer it!
Anarchy in Birmingham
In one week I have gone from photographing Liza Minelli to shooting the Sex Pistols!! In fact I was the only photographer that got to get photos from last night’s gig at Birmingham Academy. I had to shoot from the balcony but I had a great spot because…. are you ready for this??!!…. I was the warm-up DJ at the gig!
Ok, let’s backtrack 31 years here. When I was at school the first single I ever bought was The Sex Pistols’ “Silly Thing”. I sent my mom into town to buy it cos I was too young. I’m not sure how appropriate my mom thought it was for a little boy to be listening to the Sex Pistols but anyway… I even managed to have my mom deliver me on Sid Vicious’ 10th birthday! That’s commitment!
And here we are in 2008, all somewhat older, and, as there was no support band for the gig, I was asked to DJ before the band. I even managed to get a few singalongs from the crowd when I played The Clash and Sham 69 
It wasn’t all old punk stuff though, I managed to drop in some Cancer Bats, The Bronx, Gallows and a little Jane’s Addiction too. Oh, and Frank Turner.
You can see my review of the gig on BrumLive.com but here are my fave pics from the gig…
This weekend I get to photograph another musical legend when I shoot KISS on Friday night. I’m hoping for a classic Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons image for the studio wall. Wish me luck…
Liza Minelli - Live!
Who would have thought it, but this week I was honoured to shoot the living legend that is Liza Minelli!
Liza was performing at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall and I not only photographed her for Birmingham Live but also got to stay for the whole show, which I have to say was pretty spectacular. Not my kind of music at all really but nobody can deny the talent and star quality that Liza has, and she knows how to put on a real show.
You can see my review on Birmingham Live but here are just a few of my favourite photos… They were taken with a long lens as I wasn’t allowed close to the stage on the night due to there being a seated audience.
As if shooting Liza wasn’t unusual enough, while I was there Adam Woodyatt who plays Ian Beale in Eastenders came over to me asking where he could buy my photos. Random!
Canon 5D MkII - Want One!
Oh no! Something else to steal Steve’s hard-earned cash from him! The new Canon 5D MkII.
Although still a rumour it looks likely this baby will be available this summer with some sexy new features to get yours truly raiding his piggy bank. My main camera is still the Canon 1DS MkII but I’ve been looking to upgrade my 20D which I currently use as a second camera on most shoots. The new 5D is set to be priced between £1750 and £2k but looks worth every penny.
As if that weren’t enough I’ve been eyeing up the Canon 85mm 1.2 lens too. Looks like I’d better get some work done to get some cashola in the bank…
As y’all know I shoot a lot of bands but occasionally I get to photograph gigs which take things to the next level as far as entertainment, crowd involvement and real passion is concerned. And so it was with Canada’s Cancer Bats when they descended on the Birmingham Barfly last week. Singer Liam Cormier spent the whole gig in amongst the crowd, making for an energetic performance as well as some tricky photo situations but I came out unharmed with some great shots. You don’t get images like this with many bands. Check out a full review of the gig at Birmingham Live!
Out In The Cold
I’m writing this blog from a freezing cold Barfly in Birmingham where I’ve been asked to DJ on Tuesday nights. It’s a 90s night and gets full of students every week, most of whom come for the cheesy rubbish in the main room. Supposedly the most intelligent people of their generation who see nothing wrong with dancing to Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls. Luckily in the back room I get to reminisce to when I first started DJing alternative clubs and can play anything from Blur to Pearl Jam and Rage Against The Machine to PJ Harvey. Only trouble is it’s SO cold in here. I’m not used to having to wrap up in hat and jacket to DJ!
I came here tonight straight from the Korn gig in Wolverhampton. I was there to photograph the gig but a mix-up with the guest list left me without a photo pass and therefore unable to shoot anything. It happens occasionally and it’s very very frustrating. And there’s nothing really I can do about it by the time I’m at the gig. I met up with Helen who was there to review the gig for Birmingham Live! Looks like it’ll be the first gig on the site without any photos to accompany it!
There’s been plenty of gigs in the past couple of weeks. Quite a variety too, from Sam Amidon playing a tiny bar in Coventry to Editors headlining their biggest show ever; Mayhem delivering a dramatic death metal set complete with pigs heads on stage to Megadeth going through the motions before a sea of hardcore fans. And I enjoyed every one. The new issues of Rock Sound and Terrorizer hit the streets with my photos of Prong and Bullet For My Valentine inside. Rock Sound even featured my review of the gig, although they did make a few changes this time. That’s fine though. I don’t pretend to be a reviewer.
At the other end of the photographic spectrum, last Monday I got to spend a few hours in the company of my favourite wedding photographer, Mr Jeff Ascough. Over 3 seminars we got to see a bit more of Jeff’s approach to photography as well as how he uses Photoshop in his workflow and how he deals with celebrity clients. He’s a big Radiohead fan and recently shot guitarist Ed O’Brien’s wedding. As a music photographer, and Radiohead fan, that’s the stuff of dreams. One day perhaps..
Jeff Ascough has just taken his first £15,000 booking for a wedding and we’re also thinking about increasing our prices. Not
that much though! Not yet! 2007 is getting booked up fast and we’ve confirmed a few weddings for 2009 now. When we move into the studio (soon!) we can hopefully justify slightly higher fees as well as having a great space to welcome clients. I’m looking forward to it.
We have just shown Claire & Dave the photos from their wedding and, happily, they were made up with the results. Here are a few from their day…
Our next wedding is Charlotte & Steve’s this weekend and I have a feeling it’ going to be a really fun day.
Saturday morning I was awoken by messages from people saying they’d just seen me on TV. It was the programme following Envy & Other Sins after they won the Mobile Act Unsigned competition. The photo shoot we did featured in the programme with a quick interview with yours truly which wasn’t too embarrassing. They even called me “top music photographer Steve Gerrard”. If only that were true…
I have started getting a few enquiries recently from models looking for new portfolio images. It’s not something I’ve done
much of yet but for those that are happy to go with my way of working it can be great fun and hopefully we come back with a
bunch of pictures which are different from the norm. Yesterday I spent a couple of hours with the stunning Anna-Maria. Here’s a few photos from the shoot…
I want to wish all my friends who are headed for SxSW this week a safe and eventful trip. I’m sure they’ll be bringing plenty of
stories back from Texas next week.
Lastly, there are some fantastic new albums around at the moment so I just want to recommend everyone check out the new releases from the Gutter Twins, Kathleen Edwards, Cat Power, Feist, Elbow, The Kills and, for those who like things a little more extreme, The Red Death and The Cavalera Conspiracy.
Exile on Sesame Street
Here’s a YouTube video that just HAS to be shared with the world..
Speaking of extreme music, my wednesday evening was spent in the company of the immense Dillinger Escape Plan down at birmingham’s Academy 2. You can see my review on BIRMINGHAM LIVE! but I can honestly say it was one of the best gigs I’ve ever witnessed. And after seeing several hundred gigs over the years, that’s quite a statement. Here’s a few photos from the night…
Last night Evelyne and I enjoyed a rare night off and plonked ourselves down on the couch with a glass of wine and some Mistresses. Not quite as sordid as it sounds but it was a treat to have some down-time after being out every night.
Jimmy Eat World
It’s great being out every night photographing bands but I do miss having a night in front of the telly occasionally. This week I only have Thursday night free and Terrorizer wanted me to go down to London to shoot Mayhem despite the fact they’re playing Birmingham next week! I declined and will be photographing them in Birmingham instead!
Last night I went to the Academy where Jimmy Eat World were playing a sold out show before 3000 people. Surprisingly I was the only photographer there. Also surprisingly I enjoyed the gig far more than I expected to after listening to their new album. I’ve reviewed it for Birmingham Live! HERE
I’ve done a few pre-wed shoots recently and it’s good fun getting pictures of couples as they normally are before photographing them all dressed up on their wedding day. Many couples have never had a professional photograph taken and it’s a great way to show them that it’s not the awkward, scary thing they may have imagined. All couples enjoy the shoot and we get some great images from it. Here are a few of my recent favourites..
Also this week I made the effort to meet up with a group of fellow bloggers from the Midlands. I know how nerdy that sounds and that’s exactly why I nearly never went. I’m happy to report however that it wasn’t nerdy or geeky at all and I got to meet some genuinely nice and interesting people who are all out there making things happen rather than hiding in their bedrooms behind their monitors. A few people were genuinely interested in the Birmingham Live! idea which was great and others had their own forward-thinking projects in the pipeline. Watch this… and their… space!
Shooting The Chiefs
Friday night Evelyne and I managed to blag our way into an invite-only gig at the Barfly where Kaiser Chiefs were playing to around 500 people. It’s always good to see huge bands play in intimate venues and, although I’m not a big fan, the Kaisers put on a great performance, with Ricky Wilson obviously loving playing to such a small crowd. I’ve reviewed the gig for BIRMINGHAM LIVE! and here’s some of my fave photos from the gig..
On Saturday it was off to Somerford Hall near Stafford to shoot the wedding of Susan & Neil, a lovely couple who had a very relaxed, fun day with a great group of friends and family. My good friend Lisa Gault helped me out on photographic duties as Evelyne was looking after Elliott, and between us we got a fantastic selection of images for the couple. I had so many nice comments from people about how we worked at the wedding too which is always good. No weddings now til March 8th but plenty of gigs to shoot, including Jimmy Eat World, Megadeth and one of my favourite bands, the Dillinger Escape Plan all coming up this week.