It's Festival O'clock!

Me rockin' outWell then, as per my last few posts, it's time for me to log off, pack up and roll out! I've only got me a page and a half of camera gear to take! (And a small bag of clothes) I'm off on what promises to be MANIC! A four day festival in Spain with some amazing bands and artists to boot (No, not literally) THIS post will give you a list of bands - you might find one you like? What I had originally intended to do was to run around like a complete madman and shoot something of each and every one... What I'm actually going to be doing is covering the head liners mostly. I met up with a mate, Kev, today and he's kindly loaned me his 70-200 f2.8 IS lens which is super kind of him... You can read more about what I'm going to take HERE So, in short, I will be snapping like a mad man for the next few days and trying to fit some sleep and some staying out of the sun in between all of this. The weather is predicted to be pretty darn toasty! So I will be taking a water bottle with me and hopefully, somewhere in the backstage area, I'll be able to refill it often!

A little FIB history...

The 2003 edition abounded in variety and top quality with performances by Blur, Moby, Echo & The Bunnymen, Suicide and Beth Gibbons & Rustin Man – as just a sampling of the diverse styles and sounds on our stages.

In 2004, we celebrated the Festival’s tenth anniversary in the company of great and influential artists like Kraftwerk, Brian Wilson, Pet Shop Boys, Lou Reed, Wire and Einstürzende Neubauten, providing a spectacular overview of music history. This led to 2005 when we were blown away by the brilliant performances of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Richard Hawley and Yo La Tengo.

2006 was another record-breaking year for FIB Heineken, with tickets selling out two months in advance. On that amazing third weekend of July, 40,000 people crossed the Festival’s threshold every day to groove to and cheer for Depeche Mode, Morrissey, Pixies, Madness, Franz Ferdinand and The Strokes.

Firmly consolidating FIB Heineken’s reputation and status in both Spain and Europe, 2007 was another record-breaking banner year, with more that 150,000 people attending over four days to bask in the magic of Devo, The B-52’s, Arctic Monkeys, Iggy & The Stooges, Wilco, Amy Winehouse and Rufus Wainwright.

FIB Heineken 2008 continued to set the standard of distinction and quality thanks to artists like My Bloody Valentine, Morrissey, The Raconteurs, Siouxsie, and Morente Omega with Lagartija Nick – not to mention the tremendous and showstopping concert Leonard Cohen put on, which is no doubt indelibly etched in the memory of everyone who was there.

So, that pipe dream of days gone buy has become a reality; that perfect place where once-in-a-lifetime experiences inspired by music are the norm has grown and developed and finally become a near-Utopian parallel reality governed by the values and passions of thousands and thousands of young music lovers from all over the world. Pure hedonistic pleasure and both personal and cultural enrichment join hands in the celebration of life that is FIB Heineken.

I will tweet when I can, and I will post daily form the hotel - so make sure you've signed up via RSS to get those updates that nobody else gets to see! (RSS BELOW)

Crowded in here?

What's a live performance without a crowd? What's a band with no supporters? - Nothing, that's what. So, Today we take some time out to salute you, oh humble concert go'er! Tinchy Stryder had just walked on stage and swaggered past the girls at the front... pure emotion

Then, moments later, Unicorn Boy trotted up to the post to deliver a fiery set of drum 'n' bass 'n' hip 'n' hop... (look closely, you'll understand why I call him Unicorn Boy) Unicorn Boy?

A smiling face in a crowd will sometimes stand out, it's nice to capture that moment of someone throwing a shape and enjoying the tunes... smiley

Then, if it's just crazy and crowded, it's sometimes cool to fire a random shot of across the top and see what comes out... Spot you?

Spare a thought for the crowd, if they weren't there - you'd be a nobody.

Sime

The Specials - Brixton Academy 2009 - RIP Terry Hall

The Specials (sometimes called The Special AKA) are an English 2 Tone ska revival band formed in 1977 in Coventry, England. They have had hits in the United Kingdom, and their music is featured in film and television soundtracks.

The Specials - Brixton Academy

After seven consecutive UK Top 10 singles between 1979 and 1981, the band broke up. In 2008, it was announced that the band would reform and embark on a 30th anniversary tour in 2009... These are a couple of shots from that reunion.

The Specials Terry Hall

Update: Via The Specials, terrible news. (Via Twitter)

”It is with great sadness that we announce the passing, following a brief illness, of Terry, our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced”

RIP Terry Hall

Terry Hall The Specials Brixton

Guess what?
The world ended yesterday
Today is just an action replay
And Hell is wherever Heaven is not
So here I stand, the well informed optimist
Who refuses to turn on, tune in, and drop out
I refuse to lose control
I refuse to let it wash all over me
I refuse to succumb to what your vision of happy should look like
Because it certainly doesn't look like you
And when the sign says stop, that's when I'll go
Like a clean, mean, medicated, fighting machine
Who's all dressed up and ready to disco
The emperor has got new clothes

Onward, Terry.



Fancy Toys - Marylebone 2009

I was introduced to The Fancy Toys by the Bedford crew.. A larger than life performance at a constantly high standard, the guys are sure to impress. Check them out when you can... The Fancy Toys are...

Mickaël Téo: Toys, Bubble Gun, Lead Vocals, Guitar, Glockenspiel, Ukulele, Stylophone... James Duncan: Toys, Cajon, Drums, Shakers, Guitar, Backing Vocals, Glockenspiel, Melodion and the famous Shoe-Tambo Maurice the Monkey: Mascot

Take 2 guys, give them some toys, a big appetite, a vast imagination, a quirky sense of observation, a ticket to visit the world - shake them really hard, and that’s it! You get a delicious and delightfully refreshing cocktail...

James Duncan and Mickaël Téo have been writing, playing both live and in the studio, with many artists since they were really pretty young. They have performed at some of the most prestigious venues, all over the world.

With the Fancy Toys, they unleash their creativity, challenge themselves through the use of different and unusual instruments, explore new sounds and caress various emotions and the front row!

Trying to describe their style is impossible: There is literally nothing like it. You might be able to spot a few influences here and there but these will soon whizz off somewhere else in an exciting and unusual way.

The Fancy Toys live performance is a unique and unforgettable experience, so if you haven't seen them yet, have a look at their gig diary or send us an email and we will keep you informed.

Fancy Toys Command... Over and out...

Marylebone Fayre 2009 - Bedford bandstand Marylebone Fayre 2009 - Bedford bandstand Marylebone Fayre 2009 - Bedford bandstand Marylebone Fayre 2009 - Bedford bandstand

Check out The Fancy Toys whenever you can...

Shooting a festival? With what!

Washington Square...So, I went into a little spin yesterday and realised that I didn't actually have the kit I needed for the festival that I have coming up next week. I will usually take two bodies to a gig, one for a longer lens, one for a wider lens. I wonder though, is that just indulgent? I mean, It's not like I'm shooting for commissions, I shoot for myself / press sometimes / promoter sometimes and I think I could get the shots with one camera. So, anyway, I had this spaz off yesterday and tried to hire a 70-200mm f2.8 IS and a 17-40mm ...but then, upon chatting to many many hire companies I was horrified to learn that nobody had one in stock! - I tweeted a few times and a friend came to the rescue with the offer to loan his lens - thanks Kev. Well, I wandered home and @bigcrustyape popped in last night with his mum... He and I talked shoots, the women talked babies... I decided that I am taking two bodies, the Canon 30D and the Canon 5D Mk2 (My main squeeze) and, in that case, I will take the 10-22mm for the 30D and I will have the 70-200 for the 5D Mk2.... LONG and WIDE! An example of a long shot at a concert might be something like this... Dave Matthews Band

and.. an example of a wide shot may be something like this... 10cc | Indigo2 London

Now, the Canon 30D may not have a super ISO rating and anything over about 800 in the right light is starting to look pretty darn grainy, but during the day for big, sweeping festival crowd shots - I think it will be OK... It's amazing how "bad" something becomes when we get and use something "better" - What am I on about? Well, I used to shoot music stuff with the 30D 100% of the time, now I use it very infrequently because of how good the 5D Mk2 is, it makes me think the 30D is a sub standard camera, but, it's not. (My shaking hands don't help, but hey)

So, My kit list for the 2009 Benicassim festival will be as follows...

Canon 5D Mk2 - With battery grip Canon 30D - With battery grip Canon 10-22mm ef-s f3.5 Canon 50mm f1.4 Canon 24-70 f2.8 Canon 70-200mm f2.8 IS Canon 100-400mm f4.5 IS

Two sets of batteries for the Canon 5D Mk2 - Thanks to Digitalrev.com Three sets of batteries for the Canon 30D, again, thanks to the guys at Digitalrev.com Manfrotto 190XProB Tripod for those sweeping beach shots at 6am when everyone else is asleep on the sand... MacBook Pro to edit / upload / modify / surf / tweet / etc! Many Sandisk 4GB Extreme III CF Cards Filters, Cleaning kit, Chargers, Cables, USB Keys, Water! thinkTANK Streetwalker HD camera bag to fit everything in! (And maybe my thinkTANK SpeedRacer for little trips out)

I am very much looking forward to shooting Benicassim 2009, Very much...

Sime x