gig-shots blog – concert photography from mike gatiss
gigs
Federal Charm Live at The Roadhouse
Federal Charm Live at The Roadhouse

A few months ago I was covering a Lauren Housely show at Antwerp Mansion in Manchester. I work closely with Toast Recordings so couldn’t wait to see what the First Animals on Toast Night was going to be like.  Given that it was a launch night it was a pretty subdued evening, at least until support […]

Maximo Park live at HMV Ritz, Manchester, 2012-11-06
Maximo Park live at HMV Ritz, Manchester, 2012-11-06

Hmmm, my last post was in March last year and was apologising for the lack of posts… Not a great track record I know, and it’s not as if there hasn’t been anything to tell you about. I’ve spent the last eighteen months or so covering and working with some amazing talent but it has […]

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

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 […]

A Tale of Two Performances
A Tale of Two Performances

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 […]

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

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 […]

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

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 […]

Great Imitation @ Summer Sundae Weekender 2009
Great Imitation @ Summer Sundae Weekender 2009

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 […]

A New Town, A New Venue
A New Town, A New Venue

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 […]

How To Make An Impact On Your First Gig

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 […]

Maxïmo Park live at Liverpool University

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 […]

It’s been a while…

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 […]

Mimi Soya at The Shed Leicester

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 […]

Unashamedly Pop and I Love It!

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 […]

ShredYrFace at Liverpool Academy 2, 15-10-2008

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 […]

In The City 2008

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 […]

Black Kids? They’re no Los Campesinos!

When I first heard the Black Kids debut track – “I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You”, I was really excited. They had that same “instant smile on your face, feeling like summer” sound that I love about Los Campesinos and Delays. I checked them out on Myspace and have to […]