Both Claire and I were somewhat taken aback by the mass adulation accorded Frank Turner at The Shepherd's Bush Empire tonight. Firstly because, personally at least, I had no idea how popular he was (the concert sold out two months ago). And secondly, well, he's a good singer-songwriter and performer and all that (think Springsteen/Levellers/Billy Bragg), backed by top-quality musicians, but, without knowing many of the songs, it was kind of hard to connect with the anthem-singing and finger-pointing breaking out around us. Had I seen Frank at a smaller venue I think I would have come to the party, but surrounded by such fervent mass worship was quite daunting and one did feel somewhat excluded from the experience, rather than drawn in by it.
On a different subject, having been told by Raye that my photos are shit (I asked if he meant the night-time ones taken with my phone - he said he thought so), I have made the decision not to take shit photos anymore - or at least not to post them. So I went to tonight's gig with my SLR camera and had it taken off me at the door. In case I was professional - ha! And so, maybe for the last time, here's a shit photo (of mass adulation):
1 comment:
I think perhaps Raye has too much sway (nice rhyme!). I am a fan of your shite gig photography and think the camera phone should stay. Gigs should not be in glorious technocolour but a bit grainy and jostled and difficult to see because the best gigs are exactly this.
Perhaps you should begin to give people the choice...buskers on a bad hair day may be glad of the soothing blur of the camera phone....
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