60 – ‘Thank Pablo’, ‘Ferris’ and ‘Trash Green’
Thank Pablo:
“Based in South London, Thank Pablo make sun-kissed quintessentially English pop songs that have been dragged through the backstreets of Africa, Spain, France and Jamaica.
It is music to make you smile.
Recently featured on XFM, BBC 6Music and Queens Radio Belfast.”
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
Ferris:
Trash Green:
54 – ‘MoCara’, ‘Criminal Brainstorm’ and ‘Derider’
MoCara:
“MoCara are a four-piece alternative/punk/ska band from Leatherhead in Surrey. MoCara’s sound is thick with loud melodic guitars, thundering funk-driven bass lines, intense pummelling drums, ska grooves, big choruses, passionate lyrics and loads more; all of which come together with a shared obsession with creating our own vibe: A vibe that we want to spread as far as possible.
That MoCara sound has taken the band to some of the best venues in London and South East England as well as a minor headline slot at Guilfest. It has also taken the band far in many competitions; most notably to the final of Jar Music Live’s Maldives Breakout Festival at the O2 Academy Islington.
The bands first EP, ‘The Shallow South’, was released in June 2011.”
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
Criminal Brainstorm:
Derider:
“Bursting through the seams of Brighton, this explosive quintet have been relentlessly hitch-hiking across stages, brushing arms with the likes of Cerebral Ballzy and Abdoujaparov and earning a slot on Ipswich Music Day’s main stage. The band, consisting of fireball figurehead Whitnee Springfield, guitarists Sin and Rayna Vandèl, bass player Chuck Tango and sticksman Nate Marcus are now in the process of writing the material that will become their debut album.”
(Info obtained from the band’s facebook page here)
49 – ‘Ruby Surge’, ‘Aestrid’ and ‘Hollywood Tramp’
Ruby Surge:
Ruby Surge’s facebook page here
“Emerging from the depths of a drinking town in West Wales is a gang of five lads armed with anthemic, rocking tunes to break free from the shackles of mundane life.
Ruby Surge have been going for a little over 18 months, carefully crafting and strengthening their stomping set while playing gigs across the South Wales area.
Trapped by the quicksand effect of small town life, the boys are intent on making a better life for themselves through music, while aiming to improve the lives of others, if only for a three-minute song or a 45-minute show.
“Music is our way out, it’s a constructive way of day dreaming, if you like,” said lyricist Lee MacGregor.
“A lot of our tunes are written as a form of escapism – looking at the positives you can get from life, how things can get better, and they can.
“But we’re human, so others are written in anger. Times are hard, people are struggling and we feel it as much as the next person. But, again, from that we’re taking positives by writing songs, rather than smashing windows and filling our boots.”
Frontman Mathew Morris Jones emphasises the importance of playing live.
“There’s no better feeling than watching people really getting into your band’s tunes, even singing them back to you – at that point you know you are making a difference,” he said.
“Rock ’n’ Roll is not about the sex and drugs and all those clichés, it’s about having it on stage, giving people a break from their lives.” ”
(Biography info obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Aestrid:
www.aestrid.com
“Founding member, Bo Menning delivers a sound that could be categorised as something like Indie music. Songs patched together by many different sounds, picked carefully and each placed in the right puzzle. Creating something intense and emotional with melodies flying around like sparks. Like tracks that start off with the sound of a lonely choirboy echoeing down the hall, followed by a build up to where the heavens meet the stars and crashing into a patchwork of melodies that keep on expanding and expanding. In the process of songwriting Menning works purely from his broken memories and images that got stuck somewhere in him as he’s trying to re-assemble them in sound. You can taste the feeling escape in the songs as you picture yourself in the woods along with Menning’s highly emotive mix of sounds and vocals. This all results in an intense, at times blood-curling, live performance, playing with a whole range of elctronics and acoustic sounds.
For the last 3 years Bo Menning has been locked away from the world in his Omega Studio working on Aestrid’s 2nd album. Creating this bubble around himself had its ups and downs, but something pure and unique. That’s for sure.
Aestrid released their first album in 2005: ‘In d’Esprit Pornographique’, which was well received with a lot of positive reviews. The new album, ‘The Echo Resistance’ has been mixed at Real World Studios in Box, UK, by Marco Migliari (New Order, Massive Attack, Sigur Ros, Peter Gabriel, K’s Choice) and will be released in early 2011.”
(Biography info obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Hollywood Tramp:
www.myspace.com/hollywoodtrampmusic
“Hollywood Tramp are four young musicians with a desire to create music that takes elements of the familiar and turn it into something new. Now close friends, the band came together through mutual friends and a genuine love for music, forming in the Summer of 2009. Hollywood Tramp draw influence’s from all spheres of music and that is reflected in the playing style of each member. On lead vocals, rhythm guitar and piano/keyboards is Sean Colley. The front-man, founder member and chief songwriter. Philip Swan plays lead guitarist and backing vocalist. Akin to Amadeus Mozart, Phil’s first gig was at the age of seven. Steven Dent is Hollywood Tramp’s bass player extraordinaire. Steve often occupies a place next to Phil on backing vocals and is quite adept on the cello too. Holding the whole operation together is Drummer/percussionist Rowan Cox, who’s drumming style has been forged by a heavy influence of Hip-Hop. Having picked up his first pair of drumsticks aged 9, he hasn’t looked back since.”
(Biography info obtained from the band’s facebook page)
47 – ‘Nightworkers’, ‘Jacknife Holiday’, and ‘Culsh’
Nightworkers:
Nightworkers’ facebook page here
“Nightworkers have drawn inspiration from artists such as The Rolling Stones, The Brian Jonestown Massacre and UNKLE, to create a contempory Rock’n’Roll sound with elements of blues and electronica. The lyrics are evoked from life influences such as Bill Hicks, Peter Joseph and Bob Marley. ”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Jacknife Holiday:
www.myspace.com/jacknifeholiday
“Formed in 2009 from the ashes of UK metal giants ‘STRAIN’ and Northern titans ‘DISPLACEMENT’, Jacknife Holiday has already proven to be a serious force, with a live show as brutal as PC’s vocal attack and the bands thunderous riffs, this band has in just 6 short months gained serious UK and US recognition. With massive hype about the forthcoming debut album, Jacknife Holiday is a sludging groove force to be taken on board.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Culsh:
“I remember watching Andre Agassi playing Wimbledon in 1992 and thinking ‘this guy is my idol’. My Dad then showed me a video of Mick Jagger performing Brown Sugar at Madison Square Gardens, and I changed my mind.
Growing up in Glasgow, I spent a lot of time listening to whatever my parents were playing in the car. More often than not, this included Nina Simone, Queen, The Beatles and Bob Dylan – I still know all the words to Subterranean Homesick Blues.
I left Scotland when I was 15 to live in Barcelona, where I picked up my first guitar – musically I’d been limited to piano up until then. From there, American campus music was a big influence whilst at University in California – Dave Matthews & Goo Goo Dolls were always on in the background
I guess music has always been around in my life, but it wasn’t until quite a bit later that I started writing my own. Living in London, I’m surrounded by so many great up & coming artists who are each inspiring in their own right.
Life’s a charm and I’m enjoying writing about it.”
(Quote obtained from Culsh’s official website)
44 – ‘Arkestry’, ‘Boy’ and ‘The MoNacles’
Arkestry:
“We are Arkestry, a psychedelic five piece from London and thereabouts inspired by the likes of Sun Ra, Spacemen 3, Velvet Underground, FlyLo, J Dilla and Deerhunter”
(Quote obtained from the band’s website)
The MoNacles:
www.myspace.com/themonaclesmusic
(No biography info available)











Boy:
“With influences based in Pop sensibilities mixed with the message of Riot Grrl, BOY are an emerging talent causing a stir in the London music scene.
With songs about love and loss and a raw, melodic and hard-hitting sound, BOY place themselves somewhere between the urgency of Arcade Fire and the edge of The Pixies.
Influenced by the androgyny of Bowie, and with an Art House attitude, this music is independent, thought provoking but intensely catchy, still retaining a grip on the mainstream pop they are heavily influenced by.
Planning to release their EP Late 2011, Boy are something exciting, raw and untamed and certainly something not to be missed.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s website)
35 – ‘The Kabeedies’, ‘Town’ and ‘Fractures’
The Kabeedies:
(No biography info available on the artists’ website)
Town:
“Formed on a love of iconic British bands like the The Clash, The Undertones and The Jam (to name a few), a working class work ethic and no-nonsense approach; South Wales quartet TOWN’s debut offering, the ‘Original Design’ EP, documents the knocks and scrapes of being a youth in modern day Britain.
It’s certainly not all doom and gloom though, lead single ‘Eighteen’, as frontman, Alex Nash explains, “focuses on a prime time in our teenage years, where you’re expected to follow the system and fall into the generic nine-to-five lifestyle, having only 48 hours on the weekend to let off steam. You don’t have to take a journey on that conveyor belt, and can do whatever you want to do, be whoever you want to be.”
It’s attitude like that, that has seen the band begin to make waves up and down the UK with their relatable subject matter, no matter what bill they’re playing on, following shows alongside the likes of The Buzzcocks, The Bluetones, Kids In Glass Houses and One Night Only.
Produced by Romesh Dodangoda (Motorhead, Manic Street Preachers, Lostprophets) at Long Wave Studios and the legendary Rockfield Studios, ‘Original Design’ is both anthemic and ambitious, serving as a perfect introduction to TOWN and should whet the appetite for what will surely be an exciting future for the Newport outfit.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Fractures:
www.soundcloud.com/wearefractures
(No biography info available on the artists’ website)
29 – ‘The Touch’, ‘Vetoes’, ‘The Recusants’ and ‘Pharaohs From The Grave’
The Touch:
“The Touch initially made a name for themselves with their party inducing Dance-Punk sets around Adelaide in 2008. Since then the band has expanded their sound adding ethereal vocal hooks, multi-layerd washes of synth and intricate guitar interplay whilst loosing none of their energetic delivery. The band has played numerous high profile Australian festivals (Big Day Out, Parklife and One Movement) and supported bands like Phoenix, Ladyhawke, Miami Horror, The Swiss and many more. ”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Check out The Touch‘s music video for ‘SHOT’:
Vetoes:
(No biography info available on the artists’ website)
The Recusants:
(No biography info available on the artists’ website)
Pharaohs From The Grave:
www.myspace.com/pharaohsfromthegrave
“An alternative punk rock band of London musicians Emily Wolf O, Katharine Kibela, UJ and Par Mahn. Formed in 2009. Set to release their EP ‘Machines’ in June 2011.”
28 – ‘Mishima’, ‘Les Aus’, ‘Junkyard Choir’ and ‘Allies’
Mishima:
(No biography info available on the artist’s website)
Les Aus:
(No biography info available on the artist’s website)
Junkyard Choir:
“Junkyard Choir are a London-based alternative rock band formed in 2006, whose original lineup had previously played together under the name “Dirt”. Currently comprising of guitarist and lead singer Mark Woods, bassist Kevin Hiscox and drummer Tom Herbert, the band are known for their unique blend of rock, blues, punk and waltz, having been described as “swampy rock’n’roll” [1], “gypsy punk” [2] and “mariachi-esque polka-rock”.[3] Frontman Mark Woods was, for three years (2003-2006), one of the main vocalists in Do Me Bad Things.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Allies:
“Formed by Brothers Andrew and Steve Murphy, and joined by Drummer Alex Ribchester and Bassist Simon Walsh, Allies are a modern Alternative Rock Band combining Big Riffs, intense melodies and classic song writing, to produce powerful and at times “haunting rock” . ”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
23 – ‘Hey Sholay’, ‘Dirty Goods’, ‘Escapists’ and ‘Bill Davro’
Hey Sholay:
“It’s raining in Sheffield – manholes splutter up yesterday’s throwaways, spray-spitting black umbrellas convulse in the wind like fevered crows as the streets fill with the commuting hoards, all wincing their way to work through the wind and torrents with their one dry eye on the prize… But above these busy passageways glows a lit window. And through the haze of ever-moving warm colours, the light spells out five moving figures. These five individuals make up the collective Hey Sholay. Having met in varied musical avenues, a Tuesday night cult ceremony, and all being of like-mindedness – they formed to write new folklaws – with the only goals of nurturing creativity and enjoyment. What emerges from this room has a firm nod towards past styles of strumming wire to beating skins – as this common ground is the way they were raised. However, their hands remain tightly cupped, as they peek between knuckles into something so delicate and fluttering in their palms – something new to them and perhaps even the outside world. Now the overwhelming urge to share themselves is setting cracks in the window above the street – the soft murmur of music is creeping through the split glass – and the most acute of hearing are edging a glance towards the flickering lights… But for now – the rain goes on, as does the music. And neither show signs of letting up until they can all afford timeshare somewhere where the paving doesn’t splutter at your ankles…”
(Quote obtained from the band’s facebook page)
Dirty Goods:
http://www.myspace.com/dirtygoods
“DiRtY GoOdS make dirty, electronica-infused music, with a sound that call upon the vocal styling of Prince, mixed up with the synth-led sounds of Chromeo and MSTRKRFT.
The band consist of Antony James smith&devine, James Alexandros T Woodville & Mikee Gregg formerly of indie-rock outfit ‘Jump The Underground’.
‘The idea was sparked from listening to lots of Chromeo and Prince’ explains Woody and singer Antony-james adds ‘it’s mixed with rock and blues roots as that is generally where I come from’, Mikee also states ‘we all have our individual influences on the band ranging from Prince, Zeppelin, Muddy Waters and Costello to more modern acts such as Chromeo, Daft Punk, Calvin Harris and Justice’.
To date the band have played popular dance nights and venues around the UK including London’s ‘Forgive Me Lord For I Have Synth’, ‘Cargo’s Free Fridays’ and ‘Play It By Ear’.
In their first year they supported the likes of Calvin Harris and The Noisettes, been featured on several TV shows and toured USA playing venues such as The Roxy, L.A. and Fontanas, New York.”
(Quote obtained from the band’s Official website)
Escapists:
Escapists are a four-piece from London, striving to make epic, cinematic music. Think the bombast of Arcade Fire, the Harmonies of Mumford & Sons with the musicality of Death Cab.
(Quote obtained from the band’s Official website)
Bill Davro:
“Following an insurgence of bands readdressing the Brit-pop movement of the 90s, Bill Davro are bringing Alternative Pop back to the underground lexicon. Combining Jazz, Jangle Pop, Garage infused rhythms and melodic guitar hooks, the signature Bill Davro sound reflects what has come before but has been somewhat overlooked in recent years. There sound simultaneously sounding traditional and modern: a fresh and bright (sometimes jagged) explosion of pop phantasmagoria. The shifting moods of singer and lyricist Kieran Gallimore elevate the music in to a dimension of maturity and self-reflexivity (almost Wordsworthian), offering an assortment of emotive lyrics and thought provoking imagery, floating ‘as lonely as a cloud’ atop the ringing guitar lines and driving rhythm. Kieran’s lyrics have been likened to Ian Dury and Morrissey, using regional vernacular to express true to heart emotion lyrically. The band, in their live performance, transform the genteel (and somewhat vulnerable) sound in to an exciting, energetic happening guaranteed to grab you by the waist and move your hips to the swinging groove. Bill Davro have a distinct identity and sense of purpose that sits them quite comfortably (if not slightly aware of the height) on a platform of their own.
Bill Davro are always hard at work writing, recording and spreading their good name like jam on toast. Their latest (self-titled) EP is the band’s recent achievement but by no means is this all they have to show for themselves. The band have been seen in weird and wonderful venues which just goes to show their complete commitment to the music but also remain elusive. Bill Davro, however, also like to show their faces equally as much. Having played the Clothes Show Live at the Birmingham NEC, Kendal Calling music festival, been finalists for AKG Unsigned Heroes in London (to name just a few stints). Bill Davro are quite at home in any town; in front of a crowd or in front of each other. Currently gearing up for a summer of gigs, festivals, and writing and recording for their next EP, Bill Davro will surely be busy this year so catch them in a venue near you….”
(Quote obtained from the band’s Official website)
21 – ‘The Contras’, ‘CourageHaveCourage’, and ‘The Transpersonals’
The Contras:
CourageHaveCourage:
www.myspace.com/couragehavecourage
The Transpersonals:
www.myspace.com/thetranspersonals
19 – ‘Arms of Atlas’, ‘LeCarla’ and ‘Eat Off Your Arms’
Arms of Atlas:
Arms of Atlas‘s ‘Hour of the Night’ Official Music Video:
LeCarla:
Check out LeCarla‘s Official Music Video for their debut track ‘DILLIGAF’ which was released in May of last year:
Eat Off Your Arms:
www.myspace.com/eatoffyourarms
Check out Eat Off Your Arm‘s video for their song ‘Sit and Grin’:
14 – ‘The Savage Nomads’, ‘The Method’, ‘Hi-Life Wedding’, and ‘Letters To Fiesta”
The Savage Nomads:
www.myspace.com/thesavagenomads
The Method:
www.myspace.com/methodofficial
Hi-Life Wedding:
Letters To Fiesta:
www.myspace.com/letterstofiesta
05 – ‘Mavis’, ‘Karl Phillips & The Midnight Ramblers’, ‘Urban Key’, and ‘Joshua Fisher & The Miles Away Project’
Four more bands……..
Mavis:
Karl Phillips & The Midnight Ramblers:
Also, check out their video for ‘Pink Champagne’:
Joshua Fisher & The Miles Away Project:
www.myspace.com/themilesawayproject
Urban Key:
04 – ‘Foley Artist’, ‘Alkmaar’, ‘ 10p Short’, and ‘Harry & Alfie’
Hello everyone, Happy New Year! This is the first blog post of 2011 and the first bands/artists that I have photographed in this new year. There will be plenty more to come!
Foley Artist:
www.myspace.com/foleyartistmusic
Alkmaar:
10p Short:
Harry and Alfie:
Also, check out their TV appearance on the 2010 All-Ireland Talent Show here
03 – ‘Hurricane Season’, and ‘The Twisted Hearts’
Hurricane Season:
http://www.myspace.com/hurricaneseason1992
The Twisted Hearts:
02 – ‘The Pulse’, ‘Dirty Ape’, ‘Parking Offence’ and ‘Baxter Rhodes’
Live at the Workshop, London.
The Pulse:
Dirty Ape:
Parking Offence:
www.myspace.com/parkingoffence
Baxter Rhodes:
01 – Recent Bands…
The first gig I photographed professionally was in October 2009 and since then I have photographed a variety of bands at a wide range of venues. Around Camden, Islington, Shoreditch and Kilburn, every venue is different. Personally, I’m not a believer in using ‘flash’ when doing live music photography. It can be distracting to the performer(s) and it also has the potential to drown out some of the atmospheric stage lighting. Sometimes though, when used appropriately and correctly, it can work to the photographer’s advantage. Some venues are very dark; even on the stage, and I think these places are the best locations for any photographer to practice and test their technical abilities. After all, I believe that testing conditions determine how good we really are. A photographer can be in a studio all day long with full control over everything from lighting, backgrounds, props etc and not be tested. On-location shoots, such as gigs are the ones that are always different and test me…plus they get my adrenaline going too.
Here is a selection of a few Live Music Photos that I’ve taken recently.
AmberSuit:
DeepSeaGreen:
DeepSeaGreen’s latest album can be purchased from itunes here
The Glass Child:
www.myspace.com/charlotteeriksson
The New Outfit:
Pearl Jammed (Tribute Band to ‘Pearl Jam’):