As great as it is to photograph the huge stars on an arena stage, I have to confess that the place where I get the biggest buzz is when I’m shooting a sweaty little gig in some dive bar. The energy and intimacy of these gigs adds an extra element to the event and you get the feeling that anything could happen.
One such gig happened on Monday night at The Rainbow pub just a couple of minutes walk from our studio in Digbeth. Headlined by Brighton hardcore mob The Ghost Of A Thousand, this was such an amazing gig! The bands could hardly stay on the stage, seemingly preferring to mingle with the audience or climb the rafters. My 24-70 lens gave up on me just as I was about to start shooting (I’ve now bought a brand new one) so I shot the whole gig on my 50mm 1.4 lens but I love the results.
This is Sharks, one of the support bands, taken outside the venue just after their set.
And main support, The Computers, who were extremely entertaining.
And the main event… The Ghost Of A Thousand.
Tom Lacey hits the roof (almost)!
I feel that last image captures the essence of the gig. Energy, passion and interaction. Great gig. Great bands.
Steve your music photography is awesome, these shots pack such a punch I could almost be at the gig looking at them. So cool.