November Photos...

I carry around my beloved Contax T2 everywhere and although it takes amazingly rich and saturated colour photos, always find that B&W images come out too dark.  This is the kind of stuff that troubles me I guess, along with why can't we get decent Watermelons in the UK!!!  Few weeks back I ran out of my fave colour film Portra 400VC and so all month have been using up my Kodak TX400 (sorry what a geek!).  Got the film back yesterday and what a random selection of images! Here's a little slide show that takes in a Halloween night out, Oh! Inverted World November, A Sonic Boom at Shunt in Liverpool Street and other wierdness....

                              

SamulNori

SamulNori is the art of Korean Drumming and recently had the chance to see a rare UK performance by Kim Duk Soo one of the few masters around.  It started with a series of incredibly complex rhythmic patterns from various regions of Korea that sent the drummers into an almost europhic trance.  2nd half was more performance based with acrobatic dancing and ribbons spun from special caps, amazing.  Sitting in the front row it was so loud and vital at times it felt like you drifted out of the physical space of the theatre and were left aware only of the drumming and flashes of colour.

Japanese Voyeurs

I love this band, like all the 15yr old me's dreams come true.  These pics are from a shoot I did back in late summer. You can check their music out HERE

The Cheek @ Cargo

Last Monday seems like last... who knows when.  Since then I 've enjoyed one of the best Oh! Inverted World nights ever, spellbound by The Mariner's Children and rocking out to Treetop Flyers, experienced a bizarre underground sonic boom in London Bridge and felled a tree in my pyjamas. 

Then last night whilst pondering what to do since finishing 30 Rock series 1 remembered, doh I've got to look through my photos of The Cheek from Cargo last monday!  They've been touring loads and it shows in the new confidence to mix things up in their live playing.  They have a general disregard for any stage banter and mostly sneer at the crowd whilst unleashing sleazy grooves and getting sweaty...

        

        

The Wishing Seat

So you might have noticed it was recently Halloween, pumpkins kicking around, strange kids at the door demanding sweets and drunken adults running around dressed like cat woman.  Ring a bell?  Fun times some might say, evil pagan worshiping deviants others might clamour!

I got fake blood in my eye, drank way too much virgin blood and woke up hung over and on my way to a secret haunted house (pssst it's in Kennington).  It's such a cool place, Simon the owner has dedicated 15 years filling it with macabre robots and secret crannies, go have a hunt for it.  I was there to take photos for the UK launch of Lady Gaga's new version of 'The Fame' album, called 'The Fame Monster'.  It allegedly comes with a free lock of her hair.  Loads of fans had turned up to win prizes in a dance off  (amazing!!!) and best dressed competition and all of them got the chance to have their photo taken.  It was so much fun, everyone was lovely and a bit wacky races, all the pics taken in the 'Wishing Seat'...

Here's a slide show of my favourites, hope you enjoy...

G is for Goodtimes

Denim + Leather = rock n' roll, it's a simple equation.

The Goodtimes are from Southend, last time I took their picture we were under a pier and a local yokel started mouthing off.  The response 'Last night I had your mum', didn't go down so well, he said he was going to kill us.  At this point I'm thinking save the camera, run for the hills and they're taunting him some more. ha, er goodtimes ; )
This time I agreed to take photos only on the condition we did it somewhere safe, not sure where Kensington at 11pm came into it.  There's absolutely no light on the main drag, just expensive shops and no-one on the street, it's a fancy ghost town.  Did finally find a couple cool spots down in the tube station and by Marble Arch...

Oh! Inverted World at The Old Queens Head

Dawned on me today that I've been a bit of a hermit last couple weeks but that's about to change.  Seeing Phoenix for the first time tomorrow at Brixton Academy, can't wait!  Then Yuksek & Delphic in Old Street on Sat, I'm DJing with OIW crew on Monday at Ginglik and.... best of the bunch Oh! Inverted World returns to Old Queens Head on 11th November for a proper folky hoe down, we have Treetop Flyers, Mariners Children and Player Piano playing.  nice, nice, nice!

I have a strange love of paper and have tons of different colours and textures stashed away up in a cupboard with a bunch of old maps and travel guides.  Cue me grabbing the paper and everything else falling on my head! shit. Tidied up, got busy with my scissors and harked back to the summer...

Worship

Here's a few photos from a shoot I did last week with a new band, Worship, taken on a roof in Kensington High Street, London.  The building opposite has become one of my absolute favourites, it's offices for charities and local government and think it's a case of being so ugly it becomes likeable.  For ages have wanted to get in there and take some shots of it's dusty corridors, 70s/80s office furniture and pot plants. In fact better get on that, have heard rumours that it's going to be demolished sometime soon.

The band wanted to go with a mysterious vibe, so thought would tie in with some religious connotations.  Hence the red silk sheet from Shepherds Bush market.  There's some great and cheap fabric shops in and around the market which serve the local Asian community and students living nearby.  The market has a ghost town feel now that Westfield shopping centre has opened so pay it a visit if you can.

The last two, I got distracted and we started creating these mad shapes with the sheets. tasty : )

The Maccabees - Brixton Academy 03/Oct/09

They say 'This is the best night of our lives' and I believe them : )

Powerful, stylish and evocative the atmosphere is electrifying, not all gigs can be like this and tonight is a milestone for The Maccabees. They've played in hundreds of different venues over the past few years, working away until finally reaching this particular pinnacle. Great to see...

you can see more photos HERE

Oh Inverted World - 8th Oct

Oh! Inverted World is currently lurking in E. London, come join us on 8th October. Here's my latest attempt at flyer design, I used a new font for once ; ) OIW favourites La Shark are playing and headlining are 22 lady choir Gaggle. wow.

Shake it...

Guess it makes sense, this is from 1957, but how damn rock & roll is this, mind-blowing. Jerry Lee Lewis sending the kids wild.

In Vogue

Happy Friday! I've been snapping a great new band from Suffolk, The Cheek, and Vogue have used a couple photos on their blog. check it out..

http://www.vogue.co.uk/blogs/the-vogue-blog/articles/090925-the-cheek-band-london-vogue.aspx

California Sep 09

Just got back from two weeks in California, Having voted in the US elections that brought Obama to office, I was really excited to see what the atmosphere was like. It was two years and three months since the last trip for my cousins wedding and things had changed. The split between right and left is a gulf, the conservative media is in the grip of a paranoid mania, warping democracy with it's lies and exaggerations and poisoning any debate. The liberal media is too easily drowned out by this cacophony but then everyone pays attention when Obama speaks. All that rage is because people opposed to him seem so scared and young people love him. Hey he watches MTV and calls Kanye West a Jackass. I think there's still a lot of hope and belief that he can bring about some change.

That's the view from motel TV anyway. Visiting California is an intense personal experience for me, full of memories and family reunions. Seeing my old grandparents house in Davis where I spent summers growing up and now owned by strangers is a shock. But it smells the same and the figs growing there are just as sweet. Spent a lot of time retracing steps I would have taken with them, seeing some of their friends and eating, walking in the same places: The Co-op, arboretum, req pool.

Davis is basically an idyl, a liberal, bike friendly, sunny, healthy place with an active community and all those memories. It seemed a bit rougher around the edges and slightly more sun baked then I remembered it but I'm still satisfied.

The rest of California is just as mad as ever, from ridiculous wealth to street poverty, beautiful beaches, mexican food, a special kind of symmetry that you just don't get in the UK, and those huge expanses of wild space. Mountains, desert, trees and ocean. It's also incredibly friendly, patriotic and has plenty of my favourite Watermelons.

Here's s slideshow, click to view the images bigger....

The rainbow arch

South Santa Barbara has this amazing rainbow arch. It's just opposite the beach standing proud...


and here's me and nas enjoying it, I jump wierd : )

Bronx Mania

So new these guys were going to be shit hot, but now that they start their shows with Mariachi El Bronx it kind of lulls you into a relaxed mexican zone. Just when your wondering where your burrito got too and BAM! still us hyped up and crazy as always and everyone looks happy. Here's some general carnage and crowd mania. Sat 25th Aug @ Village Underground / Shoreditch

Emmy The Great...

Just heard a new track 'Edward is Dedward' by Emmy The Great, it's rollicking! Check it out at http://www.myspace.com/emmythegreat

And this is a good excuse for me to post my favourite pics from press shoot I did earlier in the year, and that aren't on my site yet ; )

Joshua Radin

Here's a couple photos from recent shoot with the American Singer Songwriter Joshua Radin, he'd landed up in the uk and was filming a video shoot at Ginglik in shep bush, with lots of twinkly blue lights. It used to be a public toilet and kind of retains that level of glamour. wait sorry, that's way too harsh it's actually a very cool place, but a mind f**K to try and find the entrance..

OH INVERTED WORLD - Aug 09

the amazing, the wonderous OIW @ Old Queens Head! The day I got back from Berlin so feeling super relaxed, happy and sleep deprived and we've got the best line up so far (in 18 months of nights!) Dufflefolks, Babe Shadow, She Keeps Bees, a totally rammed place and Morrisey in the house. I've still got a splinter in my finger from moving tables to remember it by. Here's a slide show, click for higher res images. There all a bit dark and blurry, kind of like my memories of it...

Berlin Whoop Whoop

Have just come back from three amazing days in Berlin for my friend's birthday. It's like London minus the crap, bankers and cramped conditions plus amazing weather, happy people, loads of open space, cheap delicious beer, and big lovely lakes (Krumme Lanken!)

nothing really beats getting a six pack, picking your own swimming spot and diving off a bit ol' tree. Felt like taking lots of pictures and had just got new supply of Portra 400VC so since I've now signed up to Picasa here's a slide show to check out...

London Bridge Festival - Photo Comp

Entered this comp, part of The London Bridge Festival, recently and was shortlisted. Check out the winning photo and get info on the festival HERE

Here's my photo...

Some wooden boards had been put up around a construction site and the sikh builders were doing some crazy maths in chalk all over them. Reminded me a bit of a Robert Frank type shot from his book The Americans.

I was composing the shot and this super stylish girl walked past, right through the frame. it was set up at 1/60sec but think the blurring and grainy feel of the 1600 Fuji neopan film worked well. Here's the board alone. wish I'd kept it, was like some kind of temporary installation art.