666 : # Let The Music Play
When I'm not working for the NHS, I'm a gig photographer. As nice as it sounds (and as amazing an opportunity as it would be), I don't go to stadiums or arenas every week to shoot Metallica/Foo Fighters/Pink Floyd etc. I shoot up-and-coming Rock and Metal acts that gig across the North West of England for this very website (run by people not only very passionate about live Rock and Metal music, but very knowledgeable and driven. I often marvel at their skill and composure whilst practicing their art). I may not be David Bailey, but every day is a school day for me. As I may not have any real post-processing skills to speak of for my photography and because, unfortunately, I have a very limited budget for camera equipment (this is after-all a hobby) I am forced to try and drag the most I can from my camera at gigs.
What I do have is plenty of enthusiasm. Despite only normally getting just 3 songs to take photographs from the press pit, I dash from one side of the stage to the other like a whirling dervish trying my best to keep one eye on my subject (the other is mindful of other photographers) trying my best to fill my cameras memory card in just 9 - 15 mins. I have the opening 3 songs to try and show our web audience why this band is worth every penny of their hard-earned cash when so many other options could be open to them.
I've shot gigs where the bands are playing to just a mere handful of people in a very intimate venues and I have shot in halls that hold thousands. I have done cover-bands in local pubs, bands gigging with original material prior to their debut album release and bands that have 30+ albums in their current discography. I normally sneak into gigs before the paying public to grab some set-up shots. As the lights dim and the smoke machines slowly kick in I check all of my camera settings, take test shots, and complain to myself under my breath that newer bands (or darker/faster bands) do not know how to fully promote themselves onstage by using some occasional front lighting instead of being constantly back-lit in red.
Will venues like Rebellion, FAC251, The Live Rooms or The Tivoli be a thing of the past? ©Gregg Howarth
I love it all. I love the buzz and the energy of the band, feeding off the audience that pushes them to perform. I love getting home at gone midnight and downloading my night's wares in the hope that I have more good than bad shots that I will need to fudge (spelt and pronounced "edit") into better shots. I love uploading them to the website feed ready for inclusion on there once our wordsmiths have put finger(s) to keyboard to detail their thoughts and feelings about the gig. I love it all.
It has been reported that last year alone, the live music industry contributed £4.5bn to the UK economy whilst accounting for some 210,000 jobs. Whilst other countries have acknowledged the importance of their music and cultural industries by pledging specific financial support packages, to date, the UK has not. We have all seen on Facebook that venues country-wide are being massively hit by covid-19 restrictions as 300 capacity venues are reduced to just 26. Not a hope in hell of them meeting operating costs if they do open, never mind turning a bit of a profit.
These are the grass roots venues where your favourite English bands probably started off. The places where your "I remember when" moments, gig stories and drunken found reminisces at parties were made. And our Government appears to be doing nothing at all to help. It may not be ballet or the opera, but this is culture, our culture. It needs to be saved or at least helped, so that generations to come can be as awestruck and as passionate about live music as we are. We all need to speak out before it’s too late.
Rocker, photographer, biker in no particular order