I just spoke to Andy Newton and he told me that Cat the Dog are basically a goner. Danny Logan has hooked up with The Kooks, whereas Max Rafferty the basplayer from the Kooks has teamed up with Andrew Newton & Chris Melian. It’s all a tad strange but things seems to have moved on.
There is no band name as of yet and they have already been bashing out songs and hope to record demos soon, maybe I will cover them doing just that in the next week or so, we’ll see.
Ahhh yes back in digital post production land so to speak, went out this morning and bought a new calibration tool after the new (well refurbed) screen arrived and also purchased another hard drive and a brand new kvm switch, the one I bought a few weeks ago was utter rubbish.
Here is Christian Stadil shot for Notion
I have not posted any shots coz I am literally blind with producing well adjusted shots, I am supposed to get my new screen tomorrow (fingers crossed there) and then start calibrating and finish the backlog of pix.
In the meantime I have dabbled with the WiG pictures and will re-submit them hopefully on Monday. I think the spread has become a lot more stronger in its visual style, it tells the story in even more detail inside the same amount of pages. Stacy Yang why are you quiting modelling……….aaaarrrgh.
There aint a lot going on anyways most what I have been doing is audio and av install. Next month there are some gigs lined up, should be fun seeing a few bands. Meanwhile I am still in the dark regarding producing some fashion shoots, there are three in the pipeline…….. I know I will shoot for City Life Magzines, ten pages plus possible cover but no idea where I will shoot it as I am trying to shoot it abroad (some sunshine would be nice).
I am trying to go back to Holland as well in the next few weeks and come back with my brother, bringing some huge bits with me back like my dad’s desk and a bicycle, which I would love to use in London, so sick of the bus……so many arseholes on it…..
I did a portrait for Notion late last week, it came out ok. I am also in the planning stage of 2/3 fashion shoot which will happen by the end of this/early next month. I am looking forward to the easter weekend to have a chill
I am also making a new gallery site, the last one is ok but this one blows the current one away…..change is good 
Tomorrow eve is Mark Kebble’s birthday where yours truly prolly will stagger back to home well lagered up……
The ‘Colas were doing their last show of the X tour at the Barfly.
I had expected a full house, but was really dissapointed only 70 odd had turned up, the band felt a bit letdown as well, besides that they were tired and a bit of a jaded set was being delivered that nite. I am glad I saw them in Brighton, that show was really something else (it was also Jamie Evans’ fave show of the tour). I started shooting Jamie, Dellboy and Tim inside the cupboard dressing room, some nice shots, I am literally standing across them when I take the shot with my super wide angle lens. The live shots have a nice feel to it, funny thing is I felt I was on auto pilot and quit shooting for 2 songs (ended up watching in the back) only to shoot the last song and the outro which was great btw.
Last night was a great night at the Design Museum, I arrived completely unprepared (like the true pro I am) and had to shoot quite a few peeps. Ross Lovegrove arrived and after exchanging quick pleasantries (he liked the shots I did of him and Luigi Collani) I did a super quick portrait, it came out wicked……….
After waiting for about 15mins I got the rest of the posse, I started with the two guys from &Made; David Cameron and Toby Hadden. Toby Hadden was not that keen on doing it, but after I assured him it wasn’t as bad as root canal treatement he chilled. They chilled even more when I got them to talk, the first two shots are perfect. Then I just pressed and babbled on….. Chris Medland waited patiently for me outside and he also was easy to shoot. Nice guy. When I asked for his profile he remarked about his nose and I actually decided to use the pic. I think it’s obvious why….
Orsola de Castro was very reluctant to pose as well, starting by giving me her profile only. Made me laugh; and after getting her to talk she also forgot what was going on, great shot, the second she ‘let go….’
The talk itself was excellent, one of the better ones I have seen in the year and I have been to them since Colin Forbes, shot loads during the talk. Very happy with the portraits as well.
I ran into Tom Gillet (of Apartment) while shopping in Stoke Newington, we ended up chatting for roughly 20 mins. He had stayed in Brussels for the past six months. Apartment more or less lies on its arse. Davide DeSantis left and the other three (Tom Gillet, David Caggiari and Liam Fletcher) are still creating tunes. Whether they will continue under the Apartment monicker remains to be seen, they seem to be huge in Peru, and got really good reviews in Newsweek, but besides that not a lot going on. Fucking waste of a very good album.
Tom reckons they have been cursed with all kinds of things under the Apartment name with management and whatnot. Yeah, in a way I believe him, when I see a band like Interpol (which is like an American version of them) doing pretty decent sales-wise then I have no idea why a band like them were never picked up properly, marketing failures, no doubt, and when you have a manager like Jack Steven a lot needs to be answered for.
Peter Gallina rang to tell me that he has some bigwig dinner in a few weeks in London which means he’ll be back….., as he is mooching about on ASW. Good luck, some people make photographs instead then just yacking about it…….sort yerself out for the sake of yer missus and junior, puleeeeeese
I am shooting a few peeps at the Design Museum tomorrow, such as &Made, Chris Medland and Orsola de Castro. Oh and Ross Lovegrove is there as well. Maybe I’ll try and get him to pose for me again……later this week Mexicolas, if all goes according to plan. Also trying to shop around with me folio a tad
I plastered the first shot way down of Taint, the live stuff will be put up shortly and also the portraits for the design museum of Arnold Chan (I am shooting there next Monday as well btw) and of Rory Kinnear for Reach Magazine. Then the Mexicolas stuff as well, loads of stuff to go thru……
So scroll down for updates and such….
DIY duty (and I hope that’ll be it btw pfff) finish them doors off this weekend.
Quite an eventfull and very busy week. Besides working at Queen Mary Uni to install a huge sound and lighting system I managed to see the Mexicolas at Freebutt in Brighton. Although I had arranged that I was coming no one in the band or their staff knew anything about it. Suprised faces galore so to speak. I meet Jamie Evans, Delboy and drummer Tim Trotter in their dressing room where they are killing time with mucking about like almost any other band, farting and trying to wind each other up…..
I speak to them about their gig with The Cult which I sadly could not attend and they reckon they made a lot of new fans that night, good.
I retreat to the hotel with ém (the never changing Travel Lodge….) where we hang some more. The band are on at ten and the sound is great, I mean GREAT. What is even more suprising is that they play even better, I always thought they were a tight unit but they seemed to have turned it up a notch. Brilliant.
They also have been working on new stuff and it looks they will start recording after this tour before they go on a ten day tour in the States in April. The show at Freebutt was no doubt one of the better ones I saw of The Mexicolas. I am looking forward seeing them at Barfly on the 13th, where they ought to have a full house.
View the whole set HERE
The next day I did a quick portrait of Rory Kinnear, he is an actor and I went there with Victoria the editor of Reach Magazine. He let us shoot at his warehouse style flat on top of the roof and I also used his tiled/mirrored door opening as well. Easy……..
That very same evening I hooked up with White Light Parade, I had not seen ém for yonks (almost a year) and I have to say they looked great and the chatter with them was all good and friendly.
I watched them live with about 40 odd other punters and everyone was lapping their set up, which was hella tight as well btw. A lot of progress made as a band for sure. After the show I spent 20 mins shooting them and the shots have come out great.
View the whole set HERE
Now I am starting to create a serious backlog of pix simply as my calibrated photo monitor went belly up, and the people at IIyama are a little too evasive, and simply do not call and talk to me unless I make the move…
Meanwhile I am in Holland, where I arrived last Thursday. I hooked up with my old boss Harry Vanderbrugghen, he taught me a few tricks when I assisted him in the late 80’s and hung about in 1992/93 as well. It was good to see him, we nattered shop like shopkeepers can do (trust me I talk very little shop when I am out, I find nothing more boring). Harry and Monique (his wife) don’t like visitors, HA .
The entire ground floor was setup as an office, not a sofa or table etc. in sight…..it was aimed at working not relaxing.
We went to DIT a cool restaurant in Den-Bosch, some nice food, great service and ambiance. Would be minting it if it were in Brick Lane. If you ever go to Den-Bosch (south of Holland) definately a good tip for going to a neat funky restaurant.
The next day we left for Vriezenveen where Momma lives, and besides a marathon session of essential shopping ( we have 12kgs left to fill, and we will use that leftover quota!!!) we went to Ootmarsum yesterday where we had tea, coffee and cakes of course at the Engels Teahouse, situated at the edge of a small park in Ootmarsum. It was delightfull (to use an estate agent term….) and another tip to go to if you do get there. We went into the Droste Huis as well, I was not allowed to shoot inside, but it basically belonged to rich people in the previous centuries and it only became a museum about 5 years ago when the last inhibitant passed away in her early nineties. Lots of old furniture and paintings and some macabre stories here and there, worth a visit for sure. The whole place is a tourist attraction, everything is well looked after and the so called Dutch rural style is being preserved. I took a few shots of some ‘typical’ setups, roof and street wise. Monday and Tuesday I am just ebaying stuff from my dad. A serious hoarder when it comes to aviation stuff.
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