Calerway, The Paddo

Quick pic spam to catch up on the last few weeks. Was kept busy with new bands & old bands, and big venues & small ones.

The Hot Lies @ Rosemount Hotel 120408

My second time shooting the Hot Lies, this time on a rainy Saturday night with a slightly embarassing level of attendance at the Rosemount. I’d say there were about 20 people there when I turned up, that swelled to 50+ by the time the band came on. While I felt a little bit sorry for the bands, the lack of crowd made my job a fair bit easier. Unfortunately the Rosemount’s lighting doesn’t cater for singers who like to stand on the foldbacks, in front of the lighting rig, so the night ended up sacrificing straight-forward editorial shots for slightly more arty offerings. Which is quite nice for a change I guess.

A couple more photos at my Flickr.

Matchbox Twenty @ Burswood Dome 150408

I almost wasn’t going to bother about a photopass for this one, because it was looking like it was going to be a bit of a headache, what with me already having a seated ticket to the show. But when the offer came through on the day of the concert, there’s no way I could’ve said no. I don’t mind admitting I choked on this shoot a little. Or maybe not choked…I think I had unrealistic expectations before I even walked into the venue. I wanted the best photos in the world ever of Matchbox Twenty, cause I loved Matchbox Twenty. So, the pressure on myself made me a bit stressed, and the stress made me stop concentrating, and the lack of concentration resulted in photos I wasn’t happy with. My friends all love them, so I guess you’re always your own toughest critic, right? After I’d finished shooting I made a mad dash to the cloakroom (which was outside the venue) to check my camera in, then a mad dash back inside to try and find my seat on the arena in almost complete darkness. All during the four minutes it took them to play ‘Disease’. I was quite puffed.

Gyroscope @ The Paddo 190408

Seems like another week, another Gyroscope show! This was a bit of a ‘hush hush’ show, a corporate gig for a restaurant review website that Rob and Brad sometimes write for. I used to shoot a bit at the Paddo when I was first starting out, mainly cause the lights weren’t too bad and there was lots of room to move around. This particular occasion, the lighting did tend to err on the side of pinky/purple, but with sporatic bursts of bright yellow. The lighting for the supports was terrible, but they put on a bit more of a dynamic show once Gyroscope took the stage. The crowd was a lot more sedate than at a usual Gyro show, the only person I had to protect myself and my camera from was Daniel Sanders, who took a swig of beer and spat it over the audience. My lens hood is still sticky (big globs of sticky!), and I haven’t quite been able to stomach cleaning it yet.

More photos from the show available here.

In The Pines @ Somerville Auditorium 200408

A very important day on the Perth music calendar, In The Pines is an all-local all-day festival held on the grounds of the University of Western Australia, with the proceeds from the show going to support RTRFM, a much-loved local radio station. A nagging cold kept me at home for most of the very chilly day, but I fronted up for the last two bands on the bill (who coincedentally happened to be my two favourites).

While the Bank Holidays are a fantastic band in their own right, they are in a bit of a league of their own when it comes to doing Beatles covers, and their version of Helter Skelter was a highlight of the day for many. Jebediah delivered a predictably ballsy set, highlights being the older sing-along tracks like Monument. I listened to most of the live broadcast on the radio and the major standout for me was Mink Mussel Creek, despite the fact I’m not their biggest fan usually.

Unidentified American Band @ Burswood Dome

You know the one. The band, with that guy. That guy who was in that Tenacious D filmclip. I managed to break my Burswood ‘crap photos’ hoodoo at this show, but unfortunately, seeing as I had to sign my life away for the priveledge of shooting them and now technically don’t own any of the photos, I can’t put them up anywhere and share the joy. Ironic? That said, it was a very fun shoot, and the band were fantastic. Only problem was this particular long-haired singer had his hair over his face most of the time, making it difficult to get a clean shot. But I managed, and I was pretty pleased with the shot that ran in the paper.

This coming week I’ve got the Stereophonics on either Wednesday or Thursday. Not my favourite venue, but really, I’m prepared to make some allowances for the ‘Phonics! And then on the weekend I’m taking some time off shooting to chill out at the Fly By with the soothing sounds of the Dave Mann Collective. Good times!