mikesaid: live music photography

Showing posts with label live music photography. Show all posts

Sunday, August 24, 2014

Wagons - Caravan Music Club

We had plans of taking Theo to his first proper gig, and what better band than the Wagons and what better venue than the child-friendly Caravan Music Club. The poor wee guy fell ill in the week leading up to the show so he decided that he should stay at home, and mum should too...

As with any gig I usually photograph nowdays - I have to like the band, and like the Wagons I do... and the Wagons like me, so it's all working out pretty well. I have shot these guys too many times to recall. Twice on this tour alone. It's great to see a band (who is usually great live) exceed your expectations. I can put it all down to playing a stack of shows between the gig at the HiFi and tonight. They were fantastic, so well played and it was a pleasure to shoot them again.

Photos!

Amazing video made by Si Philantropist

Sunday, August 3, 2014

Beards!

You will be aware that I have had some photos in the latest Beards album. Part of the deal was that I would be able to photograph them with a AAA pass when they play Melboune on their latest tour promoting The Beard Album.

I managed to have a chat with all the guys, and just as I thought - they were all really cool. We spoke about beards, my step-son who loves them and Louie CK - that's a pretty good conversation right there, if you ask me. By the time they took the stage I wasn't able to get ANY good vantage points for photos from the crowd side so I went back / side stage and shot from there. I had initially thought that I had done myself a great disservice because this is a band that you are better off shooting from the front, as they are fucking brilliant showmen. But by the end of the night I had some cracking shots - most of which were taken in the last half of the show - further proof that this three song rule is utter bollocks (I'm not sure if the Beards had this rule on the night).

So yea. I have shot these guys so many time - and written about them just as much. If you have a beard, like beards, or think that one day you might be manly enough to grow one, or think that it's too late for you (it's never too late) but you may be in a position of responsibility and want to do something just and right with that position - or if you are a bearded lady or if you are anything... you should check these guys out - and more importantly, if they ever play in your city - GO SEE THEM!!!!

Photos!

Videos!!!!!

.....

...

I don't think they have made any videos for this album!

SO HERE IS A FULL CONCERT!!!!

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Beardarific Beardsexual Beardgasms

[If you can't read this post below, there is a strong possibility that you aren't a bearded person, or a beard lover, please follow this link to fix the problem]

Beards beard beard beards beard! Beards beard beard Hi Fi bar beard Melbourne beard Bearbvember. Beard beardy beard bearddiddty beard... BEARDS!

Beard beard beardometer beardtastic beards beard beard beardograph beards. Beard beards beardity beard beard, beards! Beards beard Sylvia bearded beard beardbabies beards... Beardtastic beards bearded beardface beardkiss OMB!

Check out my beardsite
Like my facebeard page and view all the photos from the gig..

Grow a beard.

Seriously.

Once you clean yourself up from looking at the photos, go another round with these videos!

Beards!

Monday, February 20, 2012

single light

It's Sunday night and while most of you are contemplating sitting in the car parked in the garage with the engine running as Monday fast approaches, I am getting a double short black at Starbucks and wondering if all these people in town at 8pm have jobs.

Single Twin is Marcus Teague, his album which you can listen to below is a lovely piece of work - have a listen, it's nice!

I got there early because last time I shot Georgia Fair here it was sold out and I came away with about 300 photos from one position, this one on the other hand was anti-sold out. I think there were probably about 30 or 40 people there (including 4 photographers!) another thing that didn't show up was the light, which is great for mood. And not much else.

Support was from Chips Laffer, who for some reason is almost impossible to find anything online.. (he had lights though)

Shot for the AU Review, view whole set here.

See the set on flickr

Chips Laffer (c) Michael Christian 2012

Single Twin (c) Michael Christian 2012

now have a listen to this:

Ladies, check this out:

Saturday, January 14, 2012

The Bob Log Experience

I had asked the AU Review to request shooting this show for me, which they did but we got no reply. I was pretty keen to see this guy so thought I'd go anyway (and pay for a ticket. yes. pay) I also thought that I'd take my camera along too, and see how I go getting it in... So with a short black and a can of V in me, I was off to the Northcote Social Club (by myself - BOOO) Getting the camera in was sweet as, which is kinda annoying because I only took the 50D with a 50mm f1.8 lens on it in case I had to put it in the car, the 50mm on a crop body is a little too much zoomed in for me.

Anyway, I was also keen to see the support The Dad Horse Experience, after seeing a cool song on You Tube (see below). He was great, this was an evening of one man bands and it's interesting how they include the gaps between the songs to win over the audience (as well as the actual songs) I guess with no band standing there there is no need to move quickly from song to song.

Bob Log III has a song called Clap Your Tits (also see below), and that's the song that made me want to request to shoot this gig, anyone with a song called clap Your Tits deserves to be covered in every city they tour.

From his website: Bob Log III is an American, Slide Guitar, One Man Band. During performances, he plays old silvertone archtop guitars, wears a full body cannonball man suit, and a helmet wired to a telephone which allows him to devote his hands and feet to guitar and drums. The spectacle has been described as a guitar dance party, full of sweaty smiles, jumps and kicks. Touring over 150 shows a year in more than 30 countries, Log and his guitar never, ever quit. Bob Log's version of quick Delta blues is a continuation the sound that Bob Log and Thermos pioneered in the duo, Doo Rag. The major differences are: greater emphasis on guitar showmanship, and drumming -one man band style-with his feet. It sounds like three drummers, two guitar players, and one sort of singer. Based in Tucson, Arizona, and Melbourne, Australia, he has made frequent tours of North America, Europe, Japan and Australia, Mexico, and Iceland.

Anyway, on to the photos!

See them all here

Follow me on Twitter if you like, or if you don't like, that's ok, I don't really tweet too much. But I do tweet when I make a new blog so that could be a way of keeping up with the play? Maybe. I dunno.

Bob Log III (c) Michael Christian 2012

The Dad Horse Experience (c) Michael Christian 2012

Bob Log III (c) Michael Christian 2012

I shot this video - it's a bit distorted, but not too unlike how it was sounding:

Friday, December 9, 2011

Noah Taylor and the Sloppy Fan

[shot for the AU Review]

Noah Taylor. I didn't really know who this guy was apart from he is an actor and plays in a band.... like Keanu Reeves.

What kind of name is Keanu? It translates to "Cool mountain breeze" so, I guess his name is Breeze Reeves? that's pretty cool.

Noah Taylor was in a movie I quite like called Submarine, further investigation (ie. Googling "Noah Taylor" +"wiki") informs me that he also played the lead roll in Shine and played alongside Angelina Jolies breasts in Tomb Raider among quite a few other movies....

Breeze Reeves.

So anyway, he also plays music... I haven't heard Keanu's band, but I'm sure it's probably pretty bad. Noah Taylor and the Sloppy Boys on the other hand, are great. If you like Grinderman, you will like these guys... I haven't had a good listen to the lyrics but it's down and dirty music (a-la Grinderman) but with a bigger Axe to.. um.. Grind.

Money For Rope were on first. TWO DRUMMERS! now yer talking... great high energy set, made photographing easy. I have seen their name pop up a lot but never caught them - worth a view if you are in the area.

Noah Taylor and the Sloppy Boys - a bit hard to photograph as there was not much movement going on - but the music was great (in case you didn't notice) and I got enough photos to keep everyone happy. So I will talk about the drunk 'fan' who spent each song prancing (if you can call it that) around in his own 3m x 3m area he cleared for himself at the front of the stage. I did enjoy the air swimming almost as much as I enjoyed the rushes to the stage for a handshake at any moment Mr Taylor would come close enough to 'connect' with. He really solidified the friendship when during one of his interpretive dance movements he managed to push the mic into his face while he was singing, he kept on keeping on though - he was on a time trial and had to get to the other end of the pool...

See 'em all here

Insult me on Twitter

Money for Rope (c) Michael Christian 2011

Noah Taylor and the Sloppy Boys (c) Michael Christian 2011

Now for some tunes!

GIRL / NT & T.S.B by ng taylor

Fuck You. / NT & The Sloppy Boys by ng taylor

Saturday, June 11, 2011

OO

I was off to the Espy in St Kilda this Friday night to photograph Melbourne band, Owl Eyes. I remember seeing a photo of singer Brooke Addamo and thinking if the music was bad at least the photos would come out OK. I haven't been to the Espy for a while - last time I was there it was to photograph a band called [ME] and what I remembered about that gig, apart from the good music, was it started at 12.15am on a Thursday night and I had to get a taxi home! Luckily Owl Eyes started at... 12 fucking 45!? shivery me timbers... that's late. I met up with a friend and had a great $5 pizza to pass the time.
There were a few support bands but we only caught the one just before Owl Eyes, San Fran Disco. These guys were great, nice catchy songs... drummer form the Foo Fighters etc. Worth a listen, no excuse as I gave you a link to their facespace page.
Owl Eyes were also good, but to tell you the truth, I was over it. They came on at 1 and played the nice dreamy pop that you like to hear at 8pm (or 9pm of you are gettin ON IT) so my judgement was clouded.

see 'em all here

I have 000's of emails asking where "Cum Face of the Gig" has gone and when it will be back, so being the people pleaser that I am, drum roll please.

Friday, May 13, 2011

DATAROCK

Winter hit Melbourne over the last week like a Chris Brown to the face, which made motivation for leaving the warm house on Thursday night verrrrry low. But I went, cos I'm awesome.

Speaking of awesome - Datarock put on a fucking great show, I am not a fan of dance music but I was shown how it should be done. Live band playing dance music. Excellent. Take note all you deck dicks. These guys rocked the house and they didn't need to have a pair of headphones on, with head cocked to the side, left headphone off the ear.

This was another example of how it really comes down to the performers how the photos turn out.

See em all here.

Datarock (c) Michael Christian 2011

Sunday, April 17, 2011

AAARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!

I was flicking through a local music rag last week and came across a short interview with Frankie Gionfriddo, one of the singers from Barbarion.

What's this? a band that dresses up like Barbarians?

hmmm.

yes.

I had not been to the Tote before - it was in the headlines last year because it was going to have to shut down due to some dumb law that came in, but was saved by marching through the streets of Melbourne and being all sad, and seems alive and well and a great venue that was well worth saving.

and dodgy.

I stood there, all alone - no friends (Andrew Duggan) were brave enough to come see this show - my beard made a friend, but I was alone.

It was the video launch of "My Rock" their new music video. That was a treat in itself. I loved the gig, I still am not sure if I actually loved it musically or if I loved photographing it - either way, it was a great thing to go and see - something a little different from the hipster pop rock electronica zig zag melly octopus that seems to be everywhere at the moment.

whole flickr set here

Barbarian (c) Michael Christian 2011

Friday, February 11, 2011

ME (them)

I have seen these guys a few times now, photographed them twice (1 and 2) and gone along as a watcher once. Out of all the up and coming Melbourne bands I have seen, these guys are one of the few that stand out from the rest. Great musicians, great songs, great show. Well worth checking out - they are off the the UK to record their album, I just hope the recording stands up to the live performance!

View the whole set here

Sunday, December 12, 2010

girls, girls, girls

My flatmate has been into Girls for a while - he was very excited when I said I will be photographing them. I thought he would come along, and he was going to - but I got the 'you go now, and if I come in I'll give you a txt'... he had a ride to and from the gig from me, if he turned that down do you think he was going to walk to the train station, wait for a train, train to Jolimont, walk to Richmond? andyway... I got in the car knowing that I was going to this gig alone - which is fine cos I would have been taking photos anyway.

Unlike last time, I got there early enough to get up the front - I watched a couple of bands who were ok but both had a constant red light on them - making taking photos pretty hard... that's not why I didn't post any though - I just didn't.

OK.

yup.

Hi.