Ghostpoet

Ghostpoet live in Whelans last night supported by the babyfaced but brilliant MOTHS.

The Script (Aviva)

First time shooting in the Aviva. I even did the “whoah” when I walked in…. ain’t nuffin on Nou Camp tho!

The Script were as epic as always. Glad to have my long lens (200mm) as Danny tends to stick to the back of the stage playing keys. They put some nice little touches to the Homecoming show in fairness. Have a look for his Tri Colour lined jacket and the electrical mic tape too!

Ful review by the fabulous @Maeverlene in next weeks @hotpress !

 

M.I.A. Tripod

I can honest to God say that I thought that this was shite. Pure shite. After my 3 songs in the snapper’s pit I headed upstairs and watched the rest of the show. It was pants.

I was the only one who thought so though. I looked around mid set and the entire place was loving it. What was wrong with them? Some of my nearest and dearest friends standing all around me giving it socks. These are ordinarily intelligent, music loving folk. But they failed to see that M.I.A. can’t sing. She can’t dance. She can’t play any instruments (or maybe she chose not to, I don’t know, and I don’t care). She basically did bad karaoke for 50 mins. Yes, that’s right. 50 lousy minutes. Maybe she hypnotised everyone… or got them all pissed pre-gig in a secret location that I wasn’t invited to. I dunno, but I’m calling shenanigans on this one.

Ugh. And paper planes was her encore. Shocker.

Hotpress Music Show (RDS)

ok… so if you work for Hotpress, there is no Christmas, no Birthdays, no nothing… as everything is geared towards that one weekend in October when the entire Hotpress camp is relocated to the RDS for the Music Show. And ya know, there is never an ill word spoken about Hotpress during these days, as it is obvious just how vital the magazine is to the Irish music community.

My job this weekend was to snap the feck out of the show. Mostly people photos, which was a welcome break from live photography. I also headed to the Music Show Afterdark session in the Academy where Speech Debelle and David Kitt tore it up…and May Kay (FLApes)and BP Fallon spun some insanely pleasurable tunes! (Tom Vek- yea ya would!)

Not 100 percent blog relevant… but still music and photography, so why not!

Much love to each and every wonderful new friend I met over the days… thanking you x

Electric Picnic 2009

wow… what can i say? It may just have been the greatest weekend of my life… definately of my career. The Flaming Lips were the greatest 3 songs of my career, without doubt.

Hotpress, you rock. Hotpress friends, you rock. My friends, you rock. Readers Wives, you rock. Random funny pillheads in the crowd, you rock. Musicians, you rock. Bouncers, you rock. Joe the taxi man, you rock. B&B mammy, you rock. Wayne Coyne, you definately rock. Guy who spilled a pint over my camera…well, sorry, you don’t rock…but i forgive you darlin

Bands worth a nod: Jape, Ebony Bones, Passion Pit, The Big Pink, Sugarhill Gang, Klaxons, Madness.

Faith No More (Olympia Dublin 09)

wowza! A complete and utter mosh down memory lane. Incredibly tight preformance if not a bit short. A few bars of the Eastenders theme song too many..and a bit heavy on the Irish gags too (anyone actually know what a Shelaliegh is anyways?…and yes, i did google that spelling). Dressed in a full salmon coloured suit, Patton looked rather like an extra from Goodfellas, but has aged notably well. Proper showmanship and cracking tunes…good times all round.

The Horslips

Yes, I shot the Horslips! and they were such legends… honestly, i had such craic with them. All gents and charmers. Ye young bands could learn a lot from these guys!

Have a look at some of their old skool photos on their webpage…sooo very 70′s. perfect.

The Last Tycoons

lickity split shoot in the Library Bar (where else!) for Hotpress

for more info see here or buy the issue on the 18th! xxx

x

Manic Street Preachers (Olympia)

right, well I’m a massive MSP fan, lets just make that clear from the get go. I don’t actually own any non Richey stuff though, chalk that down to personal taste or teenage angst or what have ya… but anyway.  The gig was split in a quite a novel way. They played the new album in its entirety for the first hour… they then took a wee lil break (just long enough to pop to the bar) and then came back for a glorious second half that was filled full of classic hit and rarities! La Tristesse, Little Baby Nothing & Sorrow 16, c’mon folks, bula bus!

falling in love all over again.

R

xxx

HOTPRESS will have a full review of the show (written by a proper journo, not a snap happy photographer!) and printed pictures in the  June 18th issue (so go buy it!!)!

PIX ALL UP!

Jerry Fish

one very hungover (or quite possibly still pished) Easter Saturday in the Library bar. Mr Fish is indeed a sweetheart and a charmer, and no stranger to the lens.  God i LOVE it wen my subjects have style.

… Now he did however mention that his ideal photoshoot would be out his back garden in Wellies and his PJ’s… so Jerry, if you’re reading this… wen’s good for you?!

his Myspace

Imelda May (Tripod)

This was sooo much fun to shoot. She dripped old fashioned sex appeal and would ya look at that dress!! such a legend!

Miss May’s Myspace

Conor Brady… Geetar Man!

I lie… I smile and nod,  fein interest… mostly because of the company I tend to keep… coversations would normally drift into the unkown world of distortion pedals and g minors… but really, I aint got any kinda feckin clue about guitars. But this man does. Hotpress sent me along to Conor Brady’s Dublin City Studio for a lil photoshoot. I could appreciate the shiney-ness of all the equipment and our journo, Colm O’Hare seemed to be in his element playing with another (im gonna say it again) shiney guitar (told ya i havent a clue!). What I can appreciate though is people, and Conor was a gem to chat to and to shoot… like most of us he was shy and uncomfortable in front of the lens… but it’s the people who aren’t who tend to worry me most!

School of Seven Bells

short n sweet photee session backstage in Whelans.

…. but ya no, lets talk about the not so glam bit of Rock Photography…. the hours spent waiting for the feckin bands! sometimes they miss their flights (We Are Scientists were too hungover, hence me and a rake of other snappers journos had a lovely 4 hour wait on our clocks, ive yet to let this go)… sometimes the day gets away from them or they just have trouble with soundchecks… either way there is a hella lot of waiting in this game… and wen that happens you just gotta hope that the company you’re in is sound enuf… so my wait for this shower was made all the more worthwhile by Mr Peter Corway of PIAS. and god bless him, didnt he only stand in for some test shots…. bet he wishes he didnt now! love you Pee x

Laura Izibor

I met this gorgeous lady one afternoon in the Morgan Hotel for a very special Hotpress shoot. Now its not very often we get a looker in front of HP cameras, so wen i got this chance i went to town and shot a bit more fashiony than normal… such a delightfully easy shoot, extremely photogenic and gloriously modest was Laura!

Laura Izibor

Choice Music Awards Photos 2009

Pix from last nights Choice Music Awards in Vicar st…. Line up included Jape, Messiah J & the Expert,  Mick Flannery, Halfset, R.S.A.G. (Rarely Seen Above Ground), and Fight Like Apes. Smashing night all round with each band playin three songs.  Had to crawl around on me knees and battle it out with about 10 other snappers for these pix… hmmm… not impressed, but worth it i guess!

Congrats to Richie Jape Egan for getting the recognition (and 10 grand) he deserves!

enjoy the pix, more to follow on www.Hotpress.com

Metallica (Marlay Park)

Wow… high production stage show if ever i saw one… but very very very glad i went along as these shots gave me my very first magazine cover (Thanks you Hotpress).

Pussycat Dolls & Lady Gaga (O2)

ok ok, so i know i said i get to shoot some really cool gigs in my job…. well i was LOVING this too! Not normally my cuppa tea tbh, but fantastic outfits, amazing lights and pyro, and abs that make u wana eat nothing but Ryvita for the rest of your fat life!

oooh look at the pretty ladies

xoxx

Of Montreal (button factory)

Shiney shiney shiney…. if i wasn’t being crushed to death by hardcore glitter lovers i would have stayed n snapped my heart away…. but ive already broken ribs in this game!

Of Montreal

Billy Childish (Whelans)

Amazing energy from these guys… i was sent along by HP and honestly didn’t have a clue what to expect. Billy Childish was always an artist/painter in my eyes… now, he’s a musical legend!

…and kind enough to pose for some portraits after too! (such lovely folk)

xxx