gig-shots.com

Quarterly Catch Up

Mike Gatiss — Mon, 14 Mar 2011 17:03:37 GMT

First let me apologise for the lack of posts recently, this time last year there was an absence of posts because I hadn’t been doing much shooting. This year it’s (happily) the opposite problem; I’ve been shooting so much my feet have hardly touched the ground. I’ll do some more in depth posts again soon but here’s a quick catch up.

One aspect of my concert photography that has changed most recently is that it’s very rare I have time to hang around to watch the headliners after the usual “three songs, no flash”. Most of my shooting now is for Music Pics UK which means the edits have to be all done and uploaded by 1am at the latest. Given that most headliners don’t come on stage until around 9:30pm, and the three songs are done by say 9:45pm – I’m usually not back at my desk until around 10:30 which means editing has to be much quicker these days. On the plus side I’ve seen some belting support acts over the last few months so expect to hear more on that soon.

I’ve been toying with the idea of producing a Gig-Shots calendar for a while now, but it’s usually around Christmas that I remember I still haven’t done anything about it by which time it’s too late. This year is different, I’ve decided that there will be a 2012 Gig-Shots calendar produced and the plan is that each month will contain an image from that month in 2011. One of the challenges however is choosing which images make it into the calendar. As a photographer I’m often too close to my images to be objective about them, I might love an image because I know the lighting was appalling and I still got the shot or because I particularly like the song that was being performed, all of which means nothing to you my adoring public . To try and mitigate against that, I’m letting you the fans choose which images make it into the calendar. Hop over to the gig-shots facebook fan page look for the Calendar Competition Photo Gallery and click the like button for your favourite shot. As a reward for taking part, all votes will be put in a hat and one lucky winner will receive a hand-printed Signature Edition A2 print of the image they voted for, now how cool is that?

Just to whet your appetite here’s a sneak preview of the images up for the January Vote:-

Calendar Competition - Images by mike gatiss

Prints Now Available

Mike Gatiss — Wed, 15 Dec 2010 16:43:38 GMT

If you've been itching to hang one of my live music photographs on your wall or if you know someone that has a print sized gap waiting to be filled you'll be glad to know you can now order prints direct from the archive. Either browse the galleries which are organised by band, festival and venue or if you know what you're looking for head straight to the search page and use the keywords search to find the shot you're looking for. When you've found the shot you want, just click on the "add to cart" link on the right to choose your print size and finish. Of course if you're looking for something different such as a black and white version of a colour image or a canvas print then feel free to drop me a line.

Prints are for personal use only and may not be reproduced in any form.

Prints are available priced from £19.99 in a wide range of sizes all the way from a discrete 10"x8" to a wall filling 30"x40" and make the ideal Christmas present for the music fan in your life, so go and have a look now. As a final treat, using the code LAUNCH2010 will get you 25% off your first order until 24th December 2010.

Live Music Portfolio - Images by mike gatiss

Run Toto Run live at The Deaf Institute 25-11-2010

Mike Gatiss — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 12:22:43 GMT

One of the things I love about concert photography is watching bands develop and grow over time. Seeing the contrast from those first nervy performances when bands dip their toe in performing live to the confident hall filling performances. Run Toto Run might not be filling the big venues yet but based on tonight's performance it's just a matter of time.

I first heard Run Toto Run a couple of years ago at In The City 2008. Back then they were an acoustic/electro combo and had already played Glastonbury (only their third gig), Huw Stephens was singing their praises and they were getting playlisted on Radio 1, 6 Music and XFM, not to mention local radio up and down the country. Their cover of Sleepyhead by Passion Pit fuelled speculation that their rise was going to be spectacularly quick

Run Toto Run - Sleepyhead (Passion Pit Cover) by run_toto_run

It didn't quite work out that way and despite early promise they didn't immediately break through to the mainstream although they have supported a number of bigger acts including The Noisettes and Ellie Goulding. Based on tonight's opening for They Have Band they haven't wasted the the last two years however and now a trio, they have refined their sound to produce a much tighter edgier electro pop sound. With a single due out in January and an EP to follow Rachael Kichenside, Mike Kelly and Matt "Kid" Farthing have surely got great things ahead in 2011.

Did You Hear That? by run_toto_run

BANDS: Run Toto Run - Images by mike gatiss

A Tale of Two Performances

Mike Gatiss — Sun, 21 Nov 2010 11:27:24 GMT

I was back in Manchester last Thursday, shooting another show for Counterfeit Mag. Kele Okereke was playing at The Ritz with support from up and coming laptop-twiddlers D/R/U/G/S, and I was struck by the difference in the two performances.

Don't get me wrong, this is the second time I've seen D/R/U/G/S in a matter of months and I really like their warm spacey beats but as it stands I'm not sure that it works in the context of a live gig. Obviously given that their music is produced electronically there isn't a lot of scope for audience interaction and that's what let's it down. With a gig people are coming to watch not just to listen and with D/R/U/G/S there just isn't anything to see. Fellow electronic artists Echaskech sidestep this problem neatly by having a visual aspect to their show provided by VJ Mach V and maybe this is what D/R/U/G/S could do with for their live performances.

BANDS: D/R/U/G/S - Images by mike gatiss

Kele Okereke had the opposite problem. You can't fault his performance, he puts everything into his shows and he constantly chats with the audience between songs making them feel involved but I'm not a big fan of his solo album with the exception of recent single Tenderoni. I know there was tension between the dance/electronica direction that Kele wanted to go in and the Indie/Guitar roots of the rest of Bloc Party but that was what made it work. I hope we haven't seen the last of Bloc Party because the whole was definitely more than the sum of the parts.

BANDS: Kele - Images by mike gatiss

It's been a while

Mike Gatiss — Sun, 14 Nov 2010 15:30:16 GMT

With one thing and another it's been a while since I've updated the blog. A big part of this was being based in not so sunny Telford which made getting to any decent gigs more of a challenge than I had the energy for exceptional cases when the effort was worth it (such as the Hadouken gig where the barrier came down 30 seconds into their first track). The good news is I'm back in Cheshire again and this makes the gig scenes in Manchester, Liverpool and nearby Stoke-on-Trent much easier to keep track of. So what else have I been up to?

Well August saw me hitting the festival circuit again with my annual visit to Summer Sundae at De Montfort Hall in Leicester where I managed to catch bands such as Stornaway, Frankie and the Heartstrings, headliners Mumford and Sons as well as the girl with the shorter than short hotpants Eliza Dolittle. It was a good weekend but I can't help feeling that with the departure of festival organiser Richard Haswell, the lineup has suffered quite a bit. It felt much more like the traditional corporate money making festival this year than it ever has done in the past and whilst it was much more of a commercial success this year it will be interesting to see if the hardcore Summer Sundae fans still plan to attend next year.

Later in the month I covered the Festinho festival for Virtual Festivals which (if they can survive their current financial problems) could well become my new favourite festival. Organised completely by volunteers, Festinho is focussed on raising money for the Action for Brazils Children Trust. It's not the best organised festival I've ever been to, but the quirkiness of the bands that played and the magical atmosphere it generates is hard to resist.

September saw the visit to Manchester of one of my favourite up and coming bands - Two Door Cinema Club as well as the start of the four month festival that is The Warehouse Project. The music world descended on Manchester again in October for the In The City conference and showcase events. If you like discovering new music you really can't go wrong with In The City and I found some great bands including, D/R/U/G/S, Gallops, The Kill Van Kulls (thanks to Karen McBride) and for those that like their music harder and heavier – Chickenhawk. Also in October we've had visits from the gorgeous Imelda May, the moody I Like Trains and the infectiously cheerful Holloways. It was good to see them back on the circuit after the trouble they've had over the last couple of years, and I really hope we'll be seeing more of them.

More recently I've been shooting The Divine Comedy with support from Irish Singer Songwriter Cathy Davey and few people there will forget their beautiful cover of "I Only Have Eyes For You" or Neil's impromptu cover of Blue Monday from New Order which sent the crowd wild.

BANDS: The Divine Comedy - Images by mike gatiss

In between gigs I've been busy hunting out new bands to shoot and a favourite resource for this has been online radio shows from Salford Radio's 'Shell Zenner and Recharged Radio's Minki's Magic Moments, incidentally Minki is also the lead singer of 50ft Woman, another band worth checking out.

Well that's enough from me for now, promise not to leave it so long next time.

Mflow Gets Fry'd

Mike Gatiss — Sun, 06 Jun 2010 09:39:25 GMT

Once upon a time it was slashdot that could bring fledgling websites and internet services to their needs by triggering an unexpected surge in interest. These days it's the high-profile twitterati that can overload a server in hours. A couple of days ago this is exactly what happened to new music service mflow thanks to Stephen Fry.

If you haven't come across mflow yet, it has been described as a cross between Twitter and Spotify but personally I think it's a lot closer to a cross between Twitter and Last.fm. It's not about to become your main music application (unless you like the unpredictability of not knowing what you'll be listening to next), but for discovering new music it's a great service.

Like Twitter you follow other users and gain followers, you can flow music to your followers at which point they'll have a full length preview of your flows dropped into their inboxes. Should any of your followers like the music you're flowing enough to buy the (DRM free) mp3's you'll get a 20% cut added to your account. Okay you're not going to get rich anytime soon at a rate of 16p per track (or £1.79 per album) but it can cover the cost of some free mp3's for you and all for just sharing great music.

Mflow has been growing steadily since it's official launch in April, all was going well, service was good then Stephen Fry mentioned it…

As expected, his loyal followers jumped on it, swamping mflow's servers with requests and bringing the service to a crawl. There hasn't been any official word on the size of the increase except to say "The traffic has been off the scale". As promised the service was bounced and tweaked and has come back able to cope with the increase in demand. Sadly at the time of writing we're still waiting to see what Stephen Fry is going to flow, could he be that he hasn't found anything he likes yet or is he wary of revealing his taste in music.

I myself have no such problems, my taste in music is as random as ever but there are some great bands on there so if you fancy hearing something different, drop by, install mflow and spread the love for your favourite tunes.

Technorati Tags: mflow,stephen fry,new music,music web services

Fyfe Dangerfield Live at The Deaf Institute, Manchester, 19-01-2010

Mike Gatiss — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:37:22 GMT

It takes all sorts to be successful in the music business; some get by with a mediocre voice and average performance with exceptional lyrics to carry them, with others it’s all about the show. Every now and then though you get reminded that what counts most is the music. Tonight was one of those nights when you couldn’t help but be touched by music and song so exquisitely performed that a full room stands in rapt silence.

Playing in Manchester on an evening when City and United were going head to head may not be the best idea a promoter has ever had but no-one was disappointed (well apart from a United fan here and there after losing 2-1 to local rivals City). Opening the show was front man Conor J O’Brien playing a solo acoustic set without the support of his band Villagers. So far he and his band are relatively unknown unless you’ve managed to catch his acerbic wit paired with a voice capable of unbelievable purity supporting the likes of Neil Young and Tracey Chapman. With a single and an EP already under his belt and an album on the way, you’re sure to be hearing more of this incredible talent in 2010.

Another front man going without his usual supporting band was tonight’s main attraction and surely the man with the coolest name in music, Guillemots front man, Fyfe Dangerfield. If you haven’t heard his debut solo album “Fly Yellow Moon”, get your backside over to his MySpace page to listen to the streaming tracks. Looking slightly nervous without fellow Guillies Aristazabal and co. on stage to back him up, Fyfe took us through the full range of human emotions from the joy of “She Needs Me” to the yearning of “If The World Ends” and every step between was a perfectly formed piece of pop. Even technical hitches couldn’t distract the audience and his final encore of Guillemots classic “Made Up Lovesong #43” on ukulele was the perfect finish to a great night.

BANDS: Fyfe Dangerfield - Images by mike gatiss

Technorati Tags: live music,gigs,the deaf institute,fyfe dangerfield,the guillemots,villagers,conor j o'brien

How To Guarantee A Future Filled With Mediocrity

Mike Gatiss — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 14:15:17 GMT

I was saddened yesterday to hear that another music photographer is quitting the business. Especially when chatting to him later he revealed that he still loves shooting music, he’s just got tired of the business and being expected to supply his shots for free. He’s not the first music ‘tog to quit, and I’m sure he won’t be the last. Unfortunately he’s just another victim of the “everything should be free” culture that has spread far and wide over the last decade, and it’s a culture that threatens to lead to a very dull future.

For obvious reasons, music photography is particularly close to my heart but it isn’t the only victim. If the Lily Allen is to be believed, the music industry itself has been hit hard by fans wanting their music for free. Newspapers and magazines are being squeezed hard and many have gone out of business as readers abandon them for the web – why pay for a newspaper or magazine when everything you need is available for free online. Even TV Channels are losing out as people simply download their latest shows rather than sitting through the advertising which supports them.

Many are the calls that say simply “things have changed, either change with them or get left behind”, and to an extent that is true – the internet is a Pandora’s box that can't and shouldn’t be closed, but if we’re going to expect everything for free we should know what to expect.

Part of the problem is that many talented people aren’t just talented in one area. For instance, the talented music photographer is a talented photographer first and foremost so if music photography won’t pay the bills, he/she has little option but to switch to another type of photography that will. The provocative writer that loses her job because the magazine she writes for goes out of business may have to turn to writing advertising copy instead to pay her mortgage. The musician that can’t sell his albums because everyone downloads them for free will be stuck with jingles. Oh I’m sure they will try to continue with their artistic side and personal projects but when it comes to food vs. art guess which will win. The net result is that very talented people will sell their talents to corporations that realise the value of what they have instead of writing, singing, photographing or whatever they do for our entertainment and pure cultural value. TV production companies will make programs that appeal to the widest possible audience for the lowest possible cost (reality shows anyone) instead of making high-risk intellectually challenging programs that may upset people for fear of losing what little advertising revenue they have left. Newspapers and magazines will stick to sensationalist attention grabbing stories rather than spending their meagre funds on good quality investigative journalism and photography.

This isn’t an attack on file sharing, I’ve downloaded music many times myself but I’ve always had the attitude that if I like it I buy it (the CD not the digital download but I’ll save that for another day), if I don’t it gets deleted. Instead it’s simply pointing out that if we don’t change and stop expecting everything to be free we’re in for a very dull future.

Also I don’t believe that advertising supported services such as Spotify are the answer either. Whilst Spotify has undoubtedly been a media success and has gotten a lot of attention over recent months I suspect the majority of users are going for the free advertising based service which means they are will be relying heavily on advertising. Unfortunately the internet generation have become pretty immune to online advertising so I have to question how valuable those advertising slots really are and whether they will be enough to pay the licencing fees demanded by the musicians and their labels. There is hope however given that Spotify have had to restore their invite system due to the popularity of their mobile app. Time (and premium subscriber figures) will tell.

Love him or hate him, Rupert Murdoch has already seen this in action as online news sites kill demands for his papers and plans to charge for online content. The big question is whether we (all) are willing to pay for it and other forms of content. If not the future’s dull, the future’s beige.

Bloc Party live at Victoria Hall, Stoke-on-Trent, 14-10-2009

Mike Gatiss — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 07:47:58 GMT

Without a new album to promote some might question the reason for Bloc Party’s Bloctober tour, not the fans though. They turned out in their droves to see the band in action and weren’t disappointed.

Looking as if he’s spent the year or so in the gym beefing up for the tour and sporting a new badass shaved head, Kele Okereke looked chilled and well up for the show.

Launching into One Month Off, Bloc Party wasted no time in getting the crowd going, following up with “Waiting For The 7.18” and then sending them into a frenzy with “Mercury”.

Sadly after the show news spread that Bloc Party’s future is less than certain. Combined with the bands cancellation of their Newport gig due to Guitarist Russell Lissack needing to undergo an unavoidable medical procedure the fans are getting understandably twitchy. Here’s wishing Russell a speedy recovery and the band some well earned R&R after this mammoth 20 date tour.

Technorati Tags: Bloc Party,live music,gigs,music photography,bloctober

New Los Campesinos! Member Unveiled

Mike Gatiss — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 09:28:43 GMT

If like me you were distraught at the news Aleks Campesinos had left the band to return to her studies, you’ll be relieved to know her shoes have been filled by new addition Kim Campesinos. The band spared no expense at her unveiling and I can’t wait to see her in action on the upcoming Los Campesinos! tour.

Out with the old

And in with the new

Kim Campesinos! Signs For Los Campesinos! from Los Campesinos! on Vimeo.

Technorati Tags: los-campesinos,music news

Not Happy with The State of Things

Mike Gatiss — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 10:34:06 GMT

Once upon a time, in a land not that far away, everybody knew that to keep up to date with the latest and greatest new bands you read either The Melody Maker or the New Musical Express. Which one you read depended largely on the kind of music you were into, or more likely which had the best cover pic’ that week but there was choice and both choices were good. Then sadly in the year 2000, the Melody Maker gave up the fight and after nearly seventy five years we're now left with the choice of NME or NME for our weekly fix of music news…

This should have been a turning point for NME, with no real competition to worry about the magazine would go from strength to strength, drowning us with the breadth and depth of New Musical Talent - did you see what I did there ;-) - coming up through the small clubs and venues across the country.

Unfortunately it didn’t pan out like that, and allegations of poll rigging in 2005 simply added to the general dissatisfaction with the direction the mag’ was taking.

Now in 2009, with many viewing the NME as a list of what’s “cool” for the kids without any real music knowledge rather than a real music mag’ where do you go for your real weekly music news fix, where do you find out who your new heroes will be, or what’s going on in the underground scene you’re into?

Happily you’re not alone in the quest for a real music paper, a paper that is more interested in music than how witty it’s put downs are. Jon McClure and his followers on twitter are taking the challenge to NME and are planning the “The Ark”, a magazine that will give a voice to up and coming bands across the country, not just London, and will cover a much broader range of music than the NME .

If you’re interested in getting involved head over to the Makers Forum and sign up. If you have any ideas for The Ark then drop a mail to The Rev at reverendmusic@gmail.com.

You can read more Jon McClure’s Ark at Northern Uproar.

BANDS: Reverend and the Makers - Images by mike gatiss

Technorati Tags: jon mcclure,nme,music magazines,industry,reverend and the makers

Great Imitation @ Summer Sundae Weekender 2009

Mike Gatiss — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 10:50:08 GMT

Some bands really know how to throw you a curve ball and Great Imitation are without doubt experts in this field. Opening the Musician Stage at Leicester's Summer Sundae Weekender, they started out with some funky mash-ups of well known tracks such as MC Hammer's Hammertime and Kanye West's Goldigga with a style that falls somewhere between camp vaudevillian comedy and rap/rock crossover with a good sprinkling of R&B to confuse anyone foolish enough to think they know what's coming.

It was all good light-hearted entertainment, perfect for a sunny start to one of the most relaxed easy-going boutique festivals around. Then lead singer James Scott announced there were just two songs left and that the next song would be a little different.

"Real Men Hit Things" was indeed different, a bleak story of domestic violence performed with an intensity that left people gobsmacked and more than a little choked as the story reached it's tragic climax. A band that can play with an audience's emotions to this level are surely bound for greater things than simple imitation.

BANDS: Great Imitation - Images by mike gatiss

Technorati Tags: festivals,live music photography,unsigned bands,summer sundae weekender,great imitation,leicester

10 Things To Pack When Photographing A Festival

Mike Gatiss — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:24:05 GMT

The Summer Music Festival is well and truly underway now and it’s time for my annual favourite – the Summer Sundae Weekender. Whilst I’ve been to larger festivals such as the V festival in the past, I much prefer the smaller festivals these days where you can get to the front of the crowd without the need for a hundred excuse me’s, you can get a choice of what to drink other than the usual over-priced limited sponsors range of one lager, one cider, an alcopop if you’re lucky and white wine at a stretch.

Unfortunately I’ll have to refrain from indulging in the usual fantastic range of Real Ales at Summer Sundae this year as I’ll be covering the festival for Virtual Festivals and being unable to stand up straight without support isn’t the recipe for great shots! So given that the beer is off the essentials list, what has made it on to the list?

Tent – okay so it’s an obvious one, but make sure you put it up in your garden a week or two before you go so there are no nasty surprises when reach the camp site. Mine needed a pole replacing which had split. No big deal as long as you’ve got spares but could be a nightmare if you don’t realise until the last minute.
Camera – Naturally you’re not going to get far photographing without this. As with the tent, give it a good check over before you go, make sure your sensor is clean, batteries are charged etc.
Flash Cards – there’s a huge difference in storage requirements between shooting 3 bands in a club of an evening and shooting up to 100 bands over three days! Of course you can’t shoot all of the bands but I’ll be trying to catch as many as I can.
Plastic Bags – Okay so you can go the whole hog and buy a waterproof enclosure to protect your camera from the whims of the British weather, but an alternative is to keep a pocket full of plastic bags handy to throw over your camera if the heavens open.
Toilet Roll – it’s a fact of life that festival toilets are created in the lowest levels of hell with the sole intention of filling us all with dread and fear but unless you’re overdosing on Imodium you’ll have to face them at some point and there are few things worse than putting off a visit until you’re about to burst only to find there’s no paper. Take your own and you’ll never be caught short.
Water bottles – I always take a couple of water bottles with me, if the weather is good it can get very hot stood around in the sun all day and most festivals provide taps with free drinking water so there’s no excuse for getting dehydrated.
Ipod – okay so I’m at a music festival so why do I need my iPod? Simple, festival camp sites are noisy places at night and slipping my iPod on is the quickest way to a good nights sleep I know of :)
Laptop – If you’re hoping to get any sales from covering a festival you need to get the images available online as quickly as possible. I’ll be uploading whenever I get the chance so you can see what’s happening (almost) as it happens!
Business cards – if you’re covering a festival you will undoubtedly be asked where the images will be posted, take a good stack of cards to hand out and let people know where they can see your work.
Socks – lots and lots of clean dry socks. If the heavens open and your feet get wet you’ll be limping along with blisters in no time at all so look after your feet and take some spare socks just in case.

Well that’s my top ten list, and there are probably a number of things I’ve missed but it’s a good start :) Here I come Leicester!

Technorati Tags: music photographer,leicester,summer sundae weekender,festivals,camping

A New Town, A New Venue

Mike Gatiss — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 10:10:51 GMT

I love going to a new city and finding out where the local bands are playing. Norwich is no exception and was recently named in NME as one of the hotbeds of unsigned indie talent. Central to this is the Brickmakers and its live music venue B2.

I paid a visit last week to see who was playing and came across debutants "A Kind Of Sigh" and the recently signed "Midwitch". They’ve both got a long way to go before they’ll be cracking the top 40 but I’ll be following their careers with interest.

VENUES: B2, Norwich - Images by mike gatiss

Technorati Tags: Music Photographer,norwich,live music photography,midwitch,a kind of sigh,gigs

How To Make An Impact On Your First Gig

Mike Gatiss — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 14:29:58 GMT

It’s not just the music that people go to gigs for but it’s a fair comment to say that a lot of up and coming bands (as well as some successful bands) forget that. I remember seeing the Verve on the main stage at the V festival a decade or so ago. Musically they were fantastic, and you’d have been hard pushed to tell the difference between listening to their live performance and their CD, but that’s part of the problem…

When I go to a gig, it’s to see the band playing their music in the raw, without all of the production tweaks that are routinely added in the studio. I want to see the band enjoying themselves on stage and giving the performance everything they’ve got. I love the fact that you can often get a different take on a track once you’ve seen it live. I’ve been a fan of the Flaming Lips for a long time and their track “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” was an instant favourite of mine. I loved the quirkiness of some little Japanese kid defending her little brother against giant pink robots (who wouldn’t), but when I saw them at Lovebox last year I saw another side to the tune, much simpler and much more powerful – it’s also a song about faith and love, having someone that you just know won’t let you down no matter how much the odds are stacked against you. That’s something I would never have picked up on if I’d just listened to the album, so don’t worry so much about putting on a flawless performance, let the audience hear your sound in it’s raw state without processing the life out of it.

How many support bands have you seen that come on stage and hide behind their mic’s like the kid who won’t let go of his mummy’s hand on his first day at school? Does the music sound good? Maybe it does, maybe it doesn’t. One thing is certain, the audience won’t be telling all their friends about this “great new band” they’ve seen. To succeed on stage you need more than good tunes. You need to entertain, you need to look like you’re enjoying yourself on stage, like you belong there and that everything you do in life is a means to getting yourself in front of an audience because that’s what you love. Remember when you were a kid and you used to pretend to be a rock god singing along to your favourite songs, hairbrush mic’ firmly in hand? Did you used to stand still or did you bounce around, dancing and completely losing yourself in the music? That’s the attitude most fans want to see, and the reason I mention it is because that’s what most photographers and picture editors prefer to see as well.

One of the most common mistakes new concert photographers make is to come away with hundreds of shots of the artist looking like they’ve got the mic’ stuck up their nose. Just like this one:-

Yeah I’ve done it too, it’s easier to focus and judge the exposure when they’re stood next to the mic’ and with some bands there’s nothing else you can do as they don’t move away from the mic’, but the photographs that are remembered and have the most impact rarely have a mic’ up the performers nose. Compare the above shot to this more recent shot of Jon McClure from Reverend & The Makers.

Technically the Scouting For Girls shot is sharper and better exposed but it doesn’t get across the atmosphere and excitement of the gig anywhere near as well as the Jon McClure shot, and excitement and energy are part of what sells tickets and CD’s.

If you’re in a band and want too look good in your photo’s, just put yourself back in front of the mirror, hairbrush in hand and let yourself go!

Technorati Tags: music photographer,gigs,band advice

Ever wonder what goes on…

Mike Gatiss — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 11:47:00 GMT

…in the heads of the judges of the Mercury Music Prize? It’s that time of year and the short list is out.

Bat For Lashes – Two Suns
Friendly Fires – Friendly Fires
Florence and The Machine – Lungs
Glasvegas – Glasvegas
The Invisible – The Invisible
Lisa Hannigan – See So
The Horrors – Primary Colours
Kasabian – West Rider Lunatic Pauper Asylum
La Roux – La Roux
Led Bib – Sensible Shoes
Speech Debelle – Speech Therapy
Sweet Billy Pilgrim – Twice Born Men

After the popular win last year by Mancunian local heroes Elbow it was always going to be more obscure this year but you have to wonder what’s going on. Personally I’m backing Bat For Lashes, she was robbed last time she was nominated and there’s not much competition on the list. Obviously that doesn’t take account of the unexplainable love the critics seem to have for Glasvegas or the weirdly acclaimed regurgitation of early 90’s Brit Rock that Kasabian have been churning out but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the MMP will be immune to hype this year. Lungs by Florence and the Machine is a superb album but doesn’t have the depth of Two Suns. Friendly Fires has some stand out tracks but I don’t think it stands out as well as a whole. It’s good to see The Horrors and La Roux get their nominations, and as always there are a few names there (Led Bib, Speech Debelle and Sweet Billy Pilgrim) that I don’t recognise so I’ll be heading off to Myspace and Spotify to check them out. There are some noticeable absences as well, where’s “Kingdom of Rust” (Doves) and the self titled album from Little Boots? What do you think? Who would you give the prize to?

Technorati Tags: mercury music prize,awards,music,waffle

You Get What You Charge For

Mike Gatiss — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:00:34 GMT

A friend of mine was tweeting about a shot of hers being used for a magazine cover and was rightly very pleased with herself. I was pleased for her as well as covers are among the most profitable sales you can get for a photograph so tweeted back that it would be a nice little earner and that’s where it went pear shaped…

Those magic words came back across the tweet-o-sphere:-

Unless a mag have specifically asked you to go and shoot a band for them, they won't pay. Even the big ones like NME or Kerrang:(

Now in this case the magazine was a small independent magazine. They, like many other small magazines, may have been hit hard recently by rising paper costs, lower revenues from advertising and like the rest of us are probably tightening their belts in the current economic climate. So does that mean they should get their photography for free?

In some situations I will happily contribute images for free. If for instance they’re going to be used on someone’s blog or if the band is up and coming and just want to use a couple of images for their myspace page I will often trade use of the images for links to my gallery pages. In those situation, the customer doesn’t have the cash to pay for photography so I’ll trade use of my images for something I want – more traffic on my site.

I was approached recently by another independent magazine that wanted to use one of my images. Musera publish the “Wessex Muse”, a free magazine that promotes creativity and the arts throughout the South West. They wanted to use one of my Abi Harding photographs to go with an article they were writing about the Zutons. One of their proposals was that they would write an article about me for their magazine instead of payment. if the magazine had been based in the Manchester area, or anywhere else in the North-West I would probably have taken them up on it. A half page article about me and my work would be useful from a marketing point of view and could have generated more work for me, so it seems like a fair trade. Unfortunately Wessex is a bit too far for regular from my usual work area so I turned them down and asked for payment instead. “No problem” said the editor, and by the end of the week, the mag had their photograph and I had been paid.

Hmm… kind of shoots down the argument that:-

Unless a mag have specifically asked you to go and shoot a band for them, they won't pay.

Doesn’t it? And no this isn’t a huge magazine with a massive budget, this is a small independent free magazine. The only reason magazines won’t pay for photography is because they don’t have to. There are always some suckers out there that will give away their images for the buzz of seeing their images in print. Well that’s all well and good, but that buzz won’t pay your rent. Let’s face it, it won’t even pay your bus fare to get to the gig, meanwhile if more people buy the magazine because your image catches their eye then the magazine is going to profit from it.

If you want to work for free it’s your call, but just remember even if you’re not making any money from the use of you’re image the magazine is. Whether it’s magazine sales or advertising revenue, magazines are not charities, they’re in it to make money and if you don’t charge them for your contribution then they’ll just make a bit more money. If you’re happy to buy, insure and maintain expensive equipment to help someone else make money then that’s very ~~naive~~ nice of you, just don’t expect anything in return.

Tags: music photography,business,working for free,rants,magazines

Maxïmo Park live at Liverpool University

Mike Gatiss — Sun, 17 May 2009 18:16:30 GMT

It wasn't looking good, it was 7:30pm and it had already taken over 30 minutes to get from the M6 to the M62 (it's only a quarter of a mile of slip road between the two) and I was still 20 miles or so away from Liverpool and the venue where Maxïmo Park would be playing later that night. Once I was on the M62 my heart sank as I quickly realised the motorway was completely closed due to an accident – it was going to be one of those nights.

Fortunately once off the motorway everyone else seemed to be taking a different detour to me. Once I was back on the go things seemed to run in my favour and I made it to Liverpool University just moments after the opening act Stricken City’s third song. I hadn’t heard of these guys before but after last night’s performance I’ll be watching out for them touring. Lead singer Rebekah Raa has a haunting voice you’re unlikely to forget and with a variety of influences including The Sugarcubes and Bow Wow Wow add them to your watch list now.

Next up were the Noisettes, I saw them in Camden last year (on the Camden Crawl) and since then they’ve gone from strength to strength with the success of “Don’t Upset the Rhythm”. Their second album “Wild Young Hearts” is a regular on my playlist and if you haven’t already bought it then what are you waiting for? From the moment they took to the stage lead singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa bounced around the stage and had the complete attention of everyone in the room. Unfortunately while lead guitarist Dan Smith and Drummer Jamie Morrison were bathed in light, Shingai dodged the spotlights for the most of the the three songs I could shoot. There are a few good shots in there but they’re going to take a little more editing than normal so watch this space.

The other album that has dominated my playlist this week is “Quicken the Heart”, the latest album from fellow Geordies Maxïmo Park – I’ll ignore the fact that lead singer Paul Smith is a Smoggie. I’ve followed this band for a few years now, after first hearing their single “Graffiti” on the Zane Low Radio1 show. I’ve probably seen them six or seven times now but so far hadn’t had the opportunity to photograph them. I only got to hear the first three tracks (usual rules) before us ‘togs were escorted out but I’m happy to say they’re still the same great band I first saw at the Old Market in Brighton. I’ve got the shots and now can’t wait to enjoy the show in full next week at Manchester Academy.

BANDS: Maxïmo Park - Images by mike gatiss

Technorati Tags: maximo park,noisettes,stricken city,gigs,live music photography,live bands,liverpool

copyright grabs, time to stand up?

Mike Gatiss — Fri, 01 May 2009 12:34:55 GMT

Anyone shooting bands will - or should be – familiar with the issue of copyright grabs. Those sneaky little release forms that you’re sometimes asked to sign on your way into the venue that try to get you to sign over copyright to all your images to the band in question. The issue was highlighted recently by the British Journal of Photography when Coldplay changed their ‘standard’ release to include the line:-

you hereby transfer and assign to us with full title guarantee the entire copyright and all extensions and renewals throughout the world (including by way of present assignment of future rights) and all rights of a similar nature in the photographs

Now while many photographers would simply walk away from a contract like that there are still too many up and coming photographers that will sign it just to be able to shoot the band. And as long as there are people willing to sign, the bands (or their management) will keep asking us to hand over our copyright. This in turn will mean that music photography will no longer be a viable career (if it isn’t already too late) and we’ll lose a valuable part of music history.

It’s not just bad news for photographers either, whether they like it or not bands need photographers especially in the early stages of their careers to generate publicity. A good photograph can catch the eye of the reader and make them read an article/review they might otherwise have skimmed past which in turn raises the profile of these bands.

A major reason behind the sudden increase in the number of these contracts appearing is the perception that some photographers use their images to create unofficial merchandise (posters, t-shirts etc.) which will damage the bands income and their managers wouldn’t be doing their jobs if they weren’t trying to protect their clients revenue, but copyright should always belong to the creator of the piece of work whether it’s a painting, an article, a photograph or a piece of music. The exception being where the piece is created under a work for hire agreement, but in that case the creator should be fairly rewarded up front. In fact this is exactly the approach LA band The Killers have taken. While I’m disappointed that they’ve taken this step at least they’re being fair about it. They want complete control over photographs of their performances so they pay their own photographers to cover the shows.

So what can we do about it, other than bitching about it on blogs/forums/photosharing sites? Pete Jenkins of the NUJ is working on a standard contract which it is hoped will protect both the interests of the performers and those of the photo-journalists covering the shows, however for that to have an impact it needs to become the standard accepted agreement which means everyone needs to know about it, in particular those just starting out in the business. We need to spread the word and educate photographers that are still buzzing from being able to shoot their favourite bands that their work has value and it isn’t yet (nor should it ever be) the norm to sign away copyright without appropriate compensation.

With all of this in mind I’d like to start a website to spread the word, ideally it needs to have a short snappy name (don’t all websites) and a logo that photographers can use on their own websites to show that they won’t cover shows where they are asked to sign away copyright without appropriate payment and just as importantly they are professional (in behaviour even if not in terms of earnings), respect the rights of the performers and won’t try to sell photographs cleared for editorial use for commercial or merchandising purposes.

So this is where I start asking for help, I can handle the hosting and set-up of the site but as I’ve said, we need a short snappy name for the site and a logo to go with it. If you can help, want to be involved or just want to show your support for the idea let us know! It’s going to be strictly non-profit and none of us will make any money out of the site itself but hopefully it will be one of many small steps on the way to protecting a business we all love being involved in.

Technorati Tags: live music photography,business,copyright

It's been a while...

Mike Gatiss — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 14:32:14 GMT

Things have been a bit hectic over the last month or so, not least because when the snows came, my car decided it was far too cold and spent most of the month in the garage having some long overdue maintenance done.

I'm not one for letting little details like a lack of transport get in the way of my photography though, and still managed to get through to Moho Live for The Aftershow to check out some of the up and coming talent they were showcasing.

It was a pretty mixed bag with some good solid blues rock from Rainbow Trout, light hearted fun Indie Pop from local outfit The Manyanas, hard edged industrial synth rock from Bristol's Medallist through to rock with a vintage edge from Paris Riots.

With the exception of a couple of easily ignored local bands that would probably have gone down better on the terraces, it was another belting night from the Aftershow. Click on any of the images below to see the full set from the evening.

Technorati Tags: manchester,moho live,the aftershow,rainbow trout,local bands,gigs the manyanas medallist underclass paris riots

Another Iconic Venue In Trouble

Mike Gatiss — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 13:35:02 GMT

I'm stunned, The Princess Charlotte, or more commonly The Charlotte in Leicester has been put into administration today by it's bosses and could face closure in as little as two weeks if new backers cannot be found.

Bosses are blaming their plight on falling audience numbers and losing major bands to bigger venues in nearby Birmingham and Nottingham although rumblings from local gig-goers and bands suggest that The Charlotte has recently been less supportive of local bands, refusing to deal with bands that don't have agents (unconfirmed).

Whatever the truth of it, I hope that Punch Taverns (the buildings owners) are good to their word when they say "The Princess Charlotte is an important venue to the Leicestershire area and we are committed to its future". The Charlotte has always been one of those key venues that help bands make the leap from local heroes to becoming nationally recognised and it will be a loss to Leicester if it goes.

Technorati Tags: leicester,the charlotte,music venues,closure,local bands,gigs

Mimi Soya at The Shed Leicester

Mike Gatiss — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 14:32:01 GMT

Leicester missed out last night! There were four up and coming bands, loads of good music, good beer and a headline act that could teach Paramore what pop-punk should really sound like.

Unfortunately for whatever reason, it seemed the only people to see the show were the bands themselves, a handful of locals, the staff and your friendly rock 'tog.

Mimi Soya are a pop-punk quartet from sunny Brighton (just how many top-notch bands can that town turn out?), fronted by petite blonde Hero. Don't let her size and non-punk looks put you off though, even with a self confessed hangover from too much partying the night before, she belts out track after track of intense, passionate lyrics that make the likes of Paramore look like a Rickroll. Last night was the last night of their tour but they're back on the road again straight away supporting Go Vegas and The Sketch and you definitely want to get to the shows early enough to catch them

photographers notes

It was my first visit to The Shed and it's a cracking little venue. As you'd expect, the lighting is low, but happily they don't use LED's. I used high shutter speeds and flash to freeze the action, but if the bands weren't quite so lively you could probably get away with iso3200 1/80s at f2.8.

Unashamedly Pop and I Love It!

Mike Gatiss — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 14:57:29 GMT

I was down in London last week for the last gig of the year from unsigned pop outfit Bo Pepper.

Seemingly universally adored by the press and fans alike, Bo Pepper combine innocently catchy hooks with the kind of observant, barbed lyrics you would expect from the likes of The Beautiful South or more recently Kate Nash. This is a band that will be going places and are well worth catching as soon as you can.

photographers notes

Hoxton Bar and Kitchen isn't the easiest venue I've photographed in, on the plus side there is a distinct lack of LED lighting - they use traditional cans. However they are right above the performers so the lighting switches from brightly lit to deep shadow very quickly as the artists move backwards and forwards on the stage. Speaking of the stage, it's quite a high one - about 4 foot or so - which means if you're down the front you're shooting up at the performers, I got better results backing off a bit so I could shoot at a less severe angle.

ShredYrFace at Liverpool Academy 2, 15-10-2008

Mike Gatiss — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 10:51:20 GMT

Jose Gonzalez was playing at Liverpool Academy tonight, but for me it wasn't going to be about intricate guitar playing, it was all about the shredding. Taking a round the world trip from the furious riffs pumped out by Times New Viking, a wander through the intense sounds of No Age to the dazzling fun filled Los Campesinos! everyone was pumped.

Technorati Tags: liverpool,academy,live music,shredyrface,los campesinos,no age,times new vikings,gigs

In The City 2008

Mike Gatiss — Tue, 14 Oct 2008 12:10:52 GMT

I have to confess, I love living near Manchester! It's hard as a Geordie to admit it and Newcastle will always be my first city but the influence Manchester had on the music I grew up listening to has secured it a special place in my heart.

A key factor in that musical influence was the late Tony Wilson and it was he, along with Yvette Livesey, that got the In The City festival off the ground in the early nineties. Over fifteen years later, In The City is one of the premier showcase events for unsigned bands and this year was no exception.

Billed as Three days of your new favourite bands, you just don't know it yet, In The City takes over Manchester city centre with the music's brightest and best debating the future of the industry during the day and fans and industry taking to the streets by night to check out the bands. The standard of the bands playing was higher than ever and I've come away with a list of bands I want to see again as long as my arm!

Personal highlights include:-

Alphabet Backwards: Reminiscent of the Levellers but with a more 'pop' outlook, and more synth than the Crusties ever threw bricks at, these are a feel good sing-along band you'll love.
Baddies: With influences ranging from Talking Heads to Queens of the Stone Age, Baddies put on an adrenaline fuelled performance that ensured they were one of the buzz bands of the festival. You will be hearing more from these guys soon!
Paris Riots: Sounding something like the love-child of early Rolling Stones and The Doors with a hefty dose of Oasis thrown in for good measure, I hadn't planned to see Paris Riots until I was given a tip from one of Manchester's best music photographers, Karen McBride. It will be a huge injustice if these boys aren't cracking the charts wide open next year.
Soft Toy Emergency: One of the instant highlights on the "In The City Unsigned 2008" album (available on iTunes), Soft Toy Emergency produce infectious toe-tapping electro-punk tunes that will have the most sedantry among you bouncing around like loons.
Run Toto Run: The perfect soundtrack for a Sunday afternoon bath. Beautiful vocals complemented with a double bass and electronics instead of the usual bass and drum kit. Run Toto Run played their third gig at Glasto, and were getting airplay on Xfm, and BBC Radio 2 and BBC 6 Music within weeks of their inception.

These are just my highlights and I couldn't get to every band I wanted to see, (note to self: must figure out the two places at once routine before next year's festival). My advice is head over to iTunes and download the "In The City Unsigned 2008" album. It'll cost you a few quid for 45 tracks by Your New favourite bands, you just don't know it yet!

Oh and as a bonus for you lot, I'm in one of the photographs below. First one to tell me (add a comment) which shot and where I am can have a signed and numbered 10"x8" print of their choice from the In The City set.

Technorati Tags: live music, festivals, In The City 2008, manchester, unsigned bands, Alphabet Backwards, Paris Riots, Soft Toy Emergency, Run Toto Run, Baddies, music photography