This is getting mad and I never find time for blogging and the news are stacking up untold, that’s unless you follow my Twitter. So a short summeray and hopefully I’ll expand in the next few days with what has been going on on the Loud Pixels front.
The tour went great with the prettiest band this side of the galaxy, The Like, who rocked the stages of many cities in Europe. I am giving the final touches to the documentary edit and will hopefully be able to say where and when this is going to be broadcast. More videos as well were added with American rock band Needtobreathe as well as Punk legend WIRE playing an intimate show at The Lexington earlier this month. All this will be shown very soon in here. As well as a number of stills galleries featuring Klaxons, Warpaint, Mystery Jets, Band of Skulls, Wire, Tinchy Stryder, Amy MacDonald, Pete Lawrie, The Charlatans twice, Dan Le Sac vs Scroobius Pip twice, Shaun Ryder, Chuck Ragan, Gaslight Anthem, Maceo Parker, The Like, Detroit Social Club, Pearl and the Puppets, Liz Lawrence, Mona and Diana Vickers! Jeeez now I realise how long I haven’t updated this blog for !!! And presently getting ready to shoot Therapy? playing Troublegum at the Forum supported by Dinosaur Pile up.
On the Burning Head side, our music videos Calculus (Stretta) and The Emancipation (Tricil) are entered in the London Short Film Festival 2011 and are presently both in the top 3 of the Shooting People November movie of the month judged by triple Palme d’Or nominee director Michael Winterbottom, but more importantly we received 3 awards for The Emancipation, one in the US (Jamfest indy film festival) and two in London at the Renderyard Film Festival, good times! We’re accepting propositions for new music videos so get in touch via www.burninghead.co.uk!
And as per usual, working on some very exciting new things, that I’ll probably too easily not find time to blog about but will try anyway.
But for now en route vers de nouvelles aventures.
Z Berg of The Like, backstage in Hamburg - Oct. 2010
A series of new work here to start the week with an update.
Some live first with L.A.’s all girl band The Like performing two brilliant shows in London. The first at the Institute of Contemporary Art which we filmed and the series of clips will be very soon on the Loud Pixels Live collection. Here is a teaser with the song “Why When Love Is Gone”.
The next night they were playing in the cosy Islington pub and trendy venue the Old Queen’s Head.
The Like at the Old Queen's Head, London, Sept. 16 2010
Another live gig with former Razorlight’s Andy Burrows and his new band I Am Arrows playing the legendary 100 Club on Oxford Street. Note that the 100 Club is once again under threat of closure, mainly due to the ever increasing rent imposed to the club by the building’s owners, join the Facebook support page.
I Am Arrows at the 100 Club, London Sept. 23 2010
A few other images with a game of cricket in the nets of Lord’s last week where Scouting For Girls’ Roy, Greg and Peter were playing England cricket team’s Tim Bresnan and James Anderson before posing next to the authentic Ashes.
Scouting For Girls for a nets game at Lord's, London Sept. 23 2010
Scouting For Girls for a nets game with Tim Bresnan and James Anderson at Lord's, London Sept. 23 2010
And finally the party given by Run DMC’s Rev Run for the launch of his Foot Locker RUN NYC collection. DJs at this Aqua Kyoto party included Rev Run, Mark Ronson and Tim Westwood, all joined by a great crowd including Shingai Shoniwa from Noisettes, Paloma Faith, Keisha Buchanan, Jamelia, Roisin Murphy and more.
Keisha Buchanan at Rev Run's party, London Sept 21 2010
Mark Ronson at Rev Run's party, London Sept 21 2010
Great summer so far for UK, splendid weather and hot festivals, well until today that is but I’m sure the sun will be back. Now I did it again, not updating regularly and there was quite a lot of action since last time so it will be another quick summary.
Last big news was the first Burning Head produced music video, we now have just finished our second video! This was a commission for the Mancunian electronica label Clear Notice, on a track called Emancipation from the talented electronica artist Tricil (Atlanta, USA). We can’t show it online for a while but this will be part of a very original release pretty soon so more on this later – there should be some kind of preview online in the www.burninghead.co.uk site soon. The video features Miss Maleficent Martini, the front-woman of the band Maleficent, and she is a truly talented dancer.
Snapshot of the new Burning Head video for Tricil "Emancipation" out soon on Clear Notice's Enter Calico
Since last updates I went photographing Dead Can Dance’s half Brendan Perry at a really nice show at the Union Chapel, it was great to hear this very familiar voice- as I have been listening to DCD a LOT, beautiful.
Brendan Perry performing at Union Chapel, London on June 10 2010
Then I left for the homeland to photograph French’s biggest metal festival, HELLFEST in Clisson near Nantes, France. This had caused many controversies provoked by a stupid minority of extremist catholics who probably thought this Hell festival was going to feature black masses, sacrifices and who knows the conception of a few antichrists? It is funny how narrow minded some people can be. Thankfully they got ridiculed in their action and the festival was really nothing but a very friendly yet very loud feast of metal. The line up was a real pleasure for the big heavy metal crowd, although the press was handled in an appalling way (or at least for photography) and the pit was invaded by half a hundred photographers of all sorts, which is nothing wrong really, if there had been a hint of organisation to ensure that the ones that are working (and there was already a lot of us) can actually work. Will give it a miss next time. My highlight was Jello Biafra who preformed a truly awesome show in the Terrorizer tent.
Alice Cooper at Hellfest, CLisson, France, 19 June 2010
Slash performing at Hellfest, CLisson, France, 19 June 2010
Motorhead performing at Hellfest, CLisson, France, 19 June 2010
Followed three busy days covering the photography in the VIP & backstage area at Hard Rock Calling 2010 (headliners Pearl Jam, Stevie Wonder and Sir Paul McCartney), another great HRC weekend ending up in gigabytes of photos from which here is a selection: Hard Rock Calling Day 1, Hard Rock Calling Day 2 and Hard Rock Calling Day 3, featuring The Hives, Gomez, Elvis Costello, Bill Wyman, Tiffany Page, James Morrison, The Chakra, Lissie, More Than Me, Alejandro Escovedo, Melissa Etheridge, Diane Birch, Corinne Bailey Rae, The Gaslight Anthem, Robert Francis, Rox, Joshua Radin, Crowded House, Urban Voodoo Machine, Joe Echo, Crosby Stills and Nash and the Jonas Brothers with their mate Frankmusic, pfiou.
The Hives at Hard Rock Calling 2010, Hyde Park, London, June 25 2010
Gaslight Anthem at Hard Rock Calling 2010, Hyde Park, London, June 25 2010
Bill Wyman and Micki Free performing at Hard Rock Calling 2010, Hyde Park, London, June 26 2010
Diane Birch at Hard Rock Calling 2010, Hyde Park, London, June 26 2010
Corinne Bailey Rae at Hard Rock Calling 2010, Hyde Park, London, June 26 2010
That’s all for tonight, lots of things in the pipeline, more in the next blog update!
I’d better update before the festival season kicks in and I’ll have far too many images in a short time!
One big news is that not only the BURNING HEAD site is online but our first music video, Coffee Machine by Born Dressed, is online! We have received already a lot of great feedback and feel free to give you opinion on here. There should be a launch party soon, watch this space (or my Twitter account here). This was shot in part at the Brixton Dogstar, a really cool and stylish bar with the nicest staff. It is starring Roxy Velvet and of course Paul Gravity the man behind Born Dressed (and ex M.A.S.S. & Hey Gravity!).
Burning Head is the brainchild of Franck Trebillac and myself, adding video production to our respective creative bows. More work in progress including another music video and a fashion video clip, hopefully all online mid July.
Recent shows covered were Brian Jonestown Massacre, Pennywise supported by Strike Anywhere, and Liars all on different days at Shepherds Bush Empire, Roses Kings Castles the new project of Adam Ficek (ex-Babyshambles) at the Chapel of St Barnabas and the new queen of Pop, Lady Gaga at the O2 Arena shot from the furthest we’ve ever been placed at the O2 so far, upstairs on the opposite side, that was a nice collection of huuuge lens on display during Telephone and Brown Eyes.
Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour at the O2 Arena, London, May 31st 2010
Lady Gaga's Monster Ball Tour at the O2 Arena, London, May 31st 2010
Ellie Goulding at Shepherds Bush Empire, London, June 9 2010
Adam Ficek of Roses Kings Castles at the Chapel Of St Barnabas June 7 2010
Pennywise at Shepherds Bush Empire, London, May 16 2010
Myleene Klass at the Classical BRIT Awards, Royal Albert Hall, May 13 2010
A lot of exciting things coming this month and I wonder when I’ll find the time to sleep! Follow me here and see my galleries being updated on my Flickr account.
What a marathon tonight thanks to the multi disruptions of the transport for London network. I started by catching up with the uber cool Foxy Shazam right after their soundcheck at The Flowerpot in Kentish town for some cool portraits. These are the American madmen who supported Hole last Wednesday and impressed me a lot both for their music and stage presence. I’ll post a gallery of these shots very soon but here is a teaser.
Foxy Shazam posing in Kentish Town, London, 20 February 2010
Now unfortunately I couldn’t stay for their performance, but I’m sure they’ll be back soon and you’ll definitely hear about them, I’d be surprised if they don’t show up to some of our numerous festivals. Hey in the meantime go to The Flowerpot it’s a very cool bar and venue on Kentish Town Road!
So there I was with only an hour to reach the O2 Arena and catch Depeche Mode, from Kentish Town Rd, considering Camden Town was closed, and that there wasn’t any Jubilee line. That involved a bus, a run to Mornington Crescent from Camden Town, tube, train to Greenwich, and then a real mess with all cabs and buses full and not stopping, I hate it when the Jubilee Line is down I tell you. I ended up getting on a bus half way from Greenwich and the O2 and arriving just on time, pfew.
Great show from Depeche Mode, Dave Gahan was on top form, the lighting was great, Martin Gore was all glitter and the place was packed – but isn’t it always. The gallery is here.
Depeche Mode performing at the O2 Arena, London, 20 February 2010
And to avoid another bus nightmare I took a Clipper to go back to town, that’s a pretty nice way to get back from the O2 I must say, shame it is not included in the Oyster capping tho…
A bit less rock’n'roll than usual this update is a red carpet for Bjorn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad of ABBA coming to visit the premiere of the interactive exhibition ABBAWORLD at Earls Court, along with some celeb’s stopping by for a snap before going to be entertained with Abba memorabilia and other hologram live stage attractions. So here it is to share this, in my Flickr gallery.
Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Bjorn Ulvaeus of ABBA at the ABBAWORLD premiere in Earls Court on 26 Jan. 2010
On this third update I post more sets photographed in September, pretty eclectic mix as you will see.
It starts with a full on day starting in Hammersmith Apollo for a rehearsal of Tori Amos playing her two pianos ahead of her show.
Tori Amos at the Hammersmith Apollo, 10 Sept. 2009
I then made my way to the Tower of London for the opening of the Tower festival, featuring violinist Nigel Kennedy.
Nigel Kennedy at the Tower Of London, 10 Sept. 2009
And finally I went to Great Portland Street at the 229 club to catch the headliners of the Fistful Of Fandango festival, Future Of The Left, an amazing band I had photographed a few times in the past, great show. I arrived before the end of the second to last performance that night, Victorian English Gentlemens Club.
Future Of The Left at the 229, 10 Sept. 2009
Victorian English Gentlemens Club at the 229, 10 Sept. 2009
Another night in this update was American folk singer songwriter Alela Diane at the Shepherds Bush Empire, accompanied on stage by her dad, musician as well.
Alela Diane at Shepherds Bush Empire, 17 September 2009
On the next night I was at the Royal Albert Hall for Michael Ball, although had to shoot from the sound desk, which does not leave much room for interpretation.
Michael Ball at the Royal Albert Hall, 18 September 2009
And to finish on this long update yet two other different styles with two shows at the Southbank Center on the 25th of September. First were Fusion/latino band Peyoti For President performing in the front room, were the audience shy at first ended up dancing to the beat of the songs from these “conquistadors of political punk” as wrote Time Out.
Peyoti For President posing for a portrait at the Southbank Center - 25 Sept. 2009
This was followed by a very impressive performance in the Purcell Room by Nathan “flutebox” Lee, accompanied by Wandan (beatbox) and Hanif Khan (percussions). Nathan does both flute and the beat with his mouth for a truly impressive sound, but my words don’t give it justice, I suggest you type his name in Youtube to see for yourslef! This show was presented by Howard Marks
Nathan "flutebox" Lee at the Purcell Room, Southbank - 25 Sept. 2009
