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I'm still reckoning that the Black Lips gig at Liverpool Sound City was my personal highlight but Ipso Facto are defo in second place with a typically late night set at Korova. I'm not exactly a fan of photographing in Korova, it's either red light or flash at very close range and everyone's photos from the place mostly end up looking the same. You're also stuck right between audience and band so a bit of discretion is in order!
I've been on and off listening to Ipso Facto for the last couple of years but it's taken me until now to get around to seeing them and anybody with any sort of style over content preconceptions can leave their views at the door as these girls can seriously play and have the tunes to back up the peformance. Looking at the Ipso Facto My Space page, I presume that there's new tracks about to be uploaded as there's only their amazing cover of You Don't Own Me (which they played at Korova) on there at the moment. So for now, if you want to see and hear more, you'll have to dig around on You Tube.
The portrait was taken at 11pm at night in a car park on Seel Street just before the gig.
Been away for a week but I'm back and stacked with more new photos and of course there's still loads from Sound City to upload so expect an onslaught. Possibly. I also worked on the HUB Festival last weekend which is now down on the Wellington Dock. This was taken outside the site.
Blood Red Shoes weren't actually playing at Sound City but they've been recording in Liverpool and hanging out in Korova on Friday night at the Ipso Facto gig.
With bands like White Lies and Little Boots playing on the Friday night it was great to hear local heroes Wave Machines getting more positive reviews than any of them. Expect to hear much bigger things from this lot.
It's 4.10pm on a Saturday afternoon and whilst everybody else is outside shopping and enjoying the fact that it's not actually raining for the first time in days, I'm stuck in silly degrees of heat in the dark confines of the pit at Barfly and a pair of Converse clad teenage feet have just landed on the top of my head. For a second or two I see stars and then it's back to sweating, dodging crowd surfers and photographing Enter Shikari.
Taken at the after show on the last night of Sound City, this is a projected image of OMD's Andy McClusky and a real life Miles Kane who performed a set of Rascals and Last Shadow Puppets tunes as well as a great opener of Be My Baby!
Delta Maid played the closing party at Sound City which was held at Static and along with Emily & The Faves and Miles Kane brought the whole 4 days of madness to a relaxed and brilliant end. I've been listening to Delta Maid's songs for a while on My Space and Anyway I Want To is an incredible song. Check it out here.
Out of everyone that was on Sound City, Black Lips were my favourite and they didn't disappoint. The sound was all the over the place, the band were all over the place, it was full on dirty Garage meets Psych, a lot of beer was thrown about as were people at times and everyone went home talking about the guitarist's teeth. There will no doubt be more Black Lips photos over the next week or so!
Back to live music and this is Little Boots (and she is very little) playing the little room at O2 Academy last night. Final night and that for me means the Zutons and more!
Opening today at the Hard Days Night Gallery (very top of Mathew Street) is an amazing exhibition of photographs by legendary Manchester born photographer Kevin Cummins. Known to many for his photographs of the Manchester scene at the time of Joy Division, as well as photographing everyone from Bowie to Bolan and a whole lot more, this collection features iconic images of bands such as The Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes, Dead Or Alive, Half Man Half Biscuit and even The Farm dressed up as the characters from Dad's Army.
The Trial is the final part of Liverpool Sound City and is on all day today at St.George's Hall in an event that will see the music industry stand trial. Billy Bragg will also be performing at the event and yesterday he came along to sing a couple of songs as well as working with some school children on an education project about working in the music industry.
The Kevin Sampson written film Awaydays got it's premier last night as part of Liverpool Sound City and playing at the aftershow in Heebeejeebies were The Rascals who've recorded a version of the Bunnymen's All That Jazz for the soundtrack. Got to the club whilst the band were on, struggled though the crowd, opened a curtain and suddenly we were just at the back of the stage to see them do it live with Will Sergeant joining them on guitar before launching into an amazing version of Iggy's The Passenger.
Just a few quick photos of Juliette Lewis from last night's gig at Stanley Theatre which is the second of four nights of madness and mayhem going under the banner of Liverpool Sound City. Personal highlights from last night were a couple of Australian bands (Sound Movement & the John Steel Singers), The Rascals at Heebee Jeebies and of course The Black Lips who were loud loud loud and there'll be lots of photos of them tomorrow.
Only just made it down to the O2 Academy for the end of the Hot Melts set so I just got shots from the back and side as there's always that fear that you struggle to get through to the pit only to see the band finish their last!
After a Hard Day's Night it's back to the Hard Day's Night Hotel and everyone's swapping stories about 'band of the night' and the name I'm hearing a lot is White Denim. I'm not arguing!
Thought it best to update with my first band of the night which is Milk Kan at Bumper. There'll be more images going online here throughout the day but for now it's back to town and panel time!
Lot's more photos to come through from the first day of Liverpool Sound City but not before I get some well deserved. This is from The Rascals gig at the Stanley Theatre.
Twenty one years after it's original release The Wonder Stuff return to play their debut album 'the Eight Legged Groove Machine' in it's entirety along with a greatest hits set! This was from the O2 Academy in Liverpool on Saturday night.
Armand Van Helden is not in this new exhibition at Waterstones but a few others from Pop Cultured are. To tie in with Liverpool Sound City, Waterstones are putting some of my work up in the window of their Liverpool One store. So if you're passing by, head down the left hand side and have a look and if you've not got the book then go in and buy one off them! They are nice people and you will be rewarded in heaven.
This photograph was originally published, or one like it in colour was, in DJ Magazine as a front cover in the late 1990's and was shot on the roof of Armand Van Helden's apartment in New York.
It looks like i'm going to be having a very last minute exhibition in Liverpool One's Waterstones from Wednesday for Liverpool Sound City. Don't know what this entails just yet. Might be on walls, might be in a window. Either way, something is going to happen and I'll know more later. This is Paul Weller, appropriatley playing in a shop, which will feature in the show. Obviously the book will also be there too for those who would still like to buy a copy!
This is The Men They Couldn't Hang who were supporting The Wonder Stuff on Saturday night at the O2 Academy. Haven't heard of them in years but they seem to be as they were, they were very funny (in between songs not during them) and they did a great version of Green Fields of France.
I'm in between trying to work out how Final Cut Pro works and editing a gig from last night but I've taken a break so here's a couple more photos from the Candie Payne session back in February.
Was going to upload some more of the new Candie Payne photos and then I came across this from a long long time ago. Don't remember too much about this event other than it was a late 80's gig at The Philharmonic Hall, the lineup featured Liverpool musicians Jah Deanko (reggae), Bantu (hip hop) and RAW (dance) whilst the headliners were out of town hip hop girls The Cookie Crew! I also know there was some sort of Malcolm X relevance as it's written on the original slides but that's about it.
