Two Tales of Woe Album Launch

"So what did you do Valentine's Day?" "Oh, I went to a metal gig with my girlfriend". Not the usual response you'd expect but that's what I did. Well we did go for a nice meal first so the romance bit did happen don't worry.

Two Tales of Woe, easily my favourite Irish metal band were in Fibber Magees on Valentine's Day to launch their new album "A Conversation with Death". I've shot them before and seen them a handful of times so I made plans to shoot them again for their launch. My 40D was back in hospital, hopefully getting fixed at last!! So I had to bring out his little brother, the 350D. I decided to use my new Sigma 30mm F1.4. Cue groans from all the pros with their fancy L lenses. But it's actually a fantastic lens and surprisingly sharp wide open.

Anyway on with the show.

Fibbers Magees or Fibbers or even Fibs if you want to shorten it even further is Dublin's main metal bar/club and i've been a regular for a good six or seven years now, it's my most visited location after my house and my workplace. Two Tales of Woe are regulars too having played there many times before. It was in Fibbers I first saw them myself and I was an instant fan.

After the Lamb of God gig it was a pleasant surprise to be greeted at the door by the band, handing out promotional flyers for said launch. Lar Bowler (Guitarist) asked me if I was coming along to take a few pics, and after a supportive nod from the missus I heartily accepted.

The gig itself went really well with great support from Dyslucsic and Devil Makes Three getting the crowd in the party spirit. I picked up both the album and a lovely T-shirt before the show and put them away safely (Not like after Judas Priest where I lost a t-shirt 2 minutes after buying it).

Fibbers unfortunately is not like the Academy or the 02, that is to say the lighting is a little....basic. There's some nice green and yellow gels but there's also the dreaded and cursed red gel, the bane of a music photographer's life. I wasn't going to pull out the flashgun but then I saw everyone else was snapping away with their pop-up flashes, so I decided I could bounce mine off the ceiling to brighten things up a bit. And it worked a treat, the extra little blip of light helped freeze the band nicely and capture them in all their detail (Whether that's glorious or not i'll let you decide).

I usually fly through my memory cards at gigs but I managed to use just the one 2GB card and still got plenty of usable shots. As I said the flash really helped brighten up the gloomy and dark interior, and although i'm totally against using flash at gigs, it was a necessary evil. I've seen quite a few shots in the larger publications recently with blatant flash use, in well lit arenas. It seems to be "trendy" at the moment and if done right, can provide great results. I think it's distracting for the band and I'm gonna stick with my available light purist philosophy unless it's absolutely necessary.

So another fun gig in Fibbers, and hopefully Two Tales of Woe are on the road to making it big. They're a really great band and a lovely bunch of lads and I wish them all the best in the future.

Lamb of God

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My first "proper" show dropped me in right at the deep end, Lamb of God. One of the great modern metal bands played Dublin's Academy venue on Monday, 9th February 2009. I've shot gigs before but this was the big one, a large venue, security, photo passes, and a very pumped up crowd. When I made the phone call to get the photo pass I was nervous as hell, and when I got it, I couldn't stop smiling for hours. Everyone in work was asking why I was so cheery that day.

Monday night quickly came around and my nerves weren't going away. Add to this my main camera was still giving me hassle, weeks after sending it in for repair. The shutter was lagging, i.e. you'd press it and nothing.....and then suddenly "click". Not very useful when you're hoping to capture that moment that's over in the blink of an eye. So i gaffer taped my remote shutter release to the side of the camera. Sure it was awkard and in the way, but it worked.

Going to gigs is great, the buzz, the atmosphere, the music. But going there to do a job is a different experience. As I walked into the pit at the front of stage, the feeling of forboding grew. I seemed to be in the way of the roadies no matter where I stood. People in the crowd prodded my camera, security men stared.

Before I knew it, the lights dimmed, the crowd screamed in anticipation. And on came Lamb of God, bursting straight into their set with Hourglass. I started shooting, the music became a blur and the sound of the pulsing crowd behind me dimmed to a distant drone. I snapped of a few frames and checked how they were. Rubbish is the only way to describe those first few frames.

After what seemed like only a few seconds, we were being ushered out of the pit at the front of stage. People were starting to crowd surf and push forward, so security thought it wise to evacuate us photographers. Sure it was annoying but it was for our own safety and I respect that. I stood at the side and took a few more shots, slightly better this time.

Everything happens so quickly at a live event, you really have to have your wits about you, and be completely comfortable with your gear and settings. So you shoot a few frames, check the results and adjust if needs be. After a while you'll lock down a good setting and then you're free to shoot away and focus on getting good angles and poses, rather than worrying about shutter speeds and apertures.

I had a pass for the balcony so I decided to head up there to get some more shots, the throng of bodies made it too difficult and dangerous to continue shooting near the stage. It was at this point I realised I really need to save up for a 70-200 mm F2.8. My longest lens was a 50mm which is about 80mm on my Canon 40D. Long but not long enough for frame filling shots. So I took a few wider shots of the stage and then moved round to focus on individual action and band members.

Towards the end of the set I noticed a raised platform to the left of stage, and this was probably the best place to shoot from with my limited focal length. I kept shooting for a few more songs and then put the camera away so I could enjoy the last two or three songs of the evening.

I remember thinking throughout the show that Lamb of God sounded great and had the audience's complete attention and adoration. They really pulled out all the stops and are a fantastic live band. I saw them a few years ago when they supported Slayer in The Point Depot as it was then known, and they were great then too. The relatively small size of The Academy made for a more intimate show though as larger venues I find don't give the band the same connection with the crowd.

Overall I was fairly pleased with my photos, of course there's plenty of room for improvement, but for my first proper event I feel it went pretty well. Now I gotta go sell a Kidney so I can get that 70-200.