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6 pages of photos - all from Sven Vath gig at Q Club, Birmingham. To accompany review and for their listings pages.
The Observer used a couple of small pics from The Glade Festival last sunday (27th July 2008).
You can see the rest of the pics I took in the galleries section glade festival photos
I’ll have to do a write up to tell you how brilliant a weekend it was
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Went along to the Sunday hoping for many a free sample of food (had bailed on the first two days due to excessive rain and lack of umbrella). Unfortunately for my tummy, the majority of samples had to be paid for, and not in hard currency either, but in an odd made up pseudo money called “crowns”.
Exchange your money for bits of paper that can only be used inside the event to be exchanged for little bits of food. I don’t think so. I hung around the olive and the cheese stalls, which seemed to be the only one giving out free samples.
The button on my Nikon d50 that zooms into photos is also the button that changes the ISO - so most of the images ended up being shot at 1600 - thankyou poorly designed multi function button, I reckon this is a serious design flaw!
Big up review and the rest of my photos over at whatsoninbrum
Those Ballsy heroes!
Covered for BrumLive and Whats On In Brum
See the two reviews along with my photos at:
Not for the faint hearted, these guys ” roam the land, righting wrongs and inspiring the masses with musical interpretations of ancient Austrian folk tales. Such stories as ‘Terminator’, ‘Predator’ and ‘Total Recall’ have for too long been exploited for commercial gain by the Hollywood film industry and a certain unscrupulous actor.”
Bit of strobist info for those wondering: Flashgun off-shoe wireless + built in flash, both manual. Go get creative with your lighting!
You can find the whole gallery in the galleries section 
Took some photos when I went back home the other day - plenty of interesting things to photograph, heres a selection:
On the 10/06/08 I went along with Whats On in Brum to the launch of Taste of Birmingham at Brindley Place, where top chefs Surachet Patpun, Aktar Islam and Chris Duffy from Thai Edge, Lasan, and Falini cooked up a storm on a BBQ in front of Thai Edge. Each prepared a dish, whilst explaining to the gathered crowds not only the ingredients and recipe, but also the reasons behind their choice and combinations. It was all very much in the style of any good television cookery programme.
Celebrity chef Atul Kochhar was present to have a taste and judge between the three prepared dishes - although when it came down to making a decision as to a winner he was diplomatically vague, saying that they were all fantastic.
I was a personal fan of Chris Duffy’s Sea Bass, not least because there was a decent amount of it to go round for tasting - though be wary of bones, as they are sharp enough to pierce your lip.
Now in its third consecutive year, Taste of Birmingham will celebrate the very best cuisine the Midlands’ offers in the beautiful surroundings of Cannon Hill Park, from Thursday 10th July to Sunday 13th July 2008. Get down there and get involved with food.
Oh my goodness, were you there? Wednesday 4th June 2008: Infinity Festival @ Q Club
3 Universities got together to put on a huge charity event at the legendary Que Club. With a Dj set from Bloc Party, and super funky sounds from a Spectrum led Pete Jordan and Joebot back to back bonanza, the main room was a rockin’.
Other rooms were hosted by Birmingham University Jazz Society and Kerrang - as well as there being a full blown R&B room, and a drum and bass room. There was literally something for everyones taste - including free give aways by Rustlers (anyone fancy a burger?). You could even get screened for Clamidia, as there was a sexual health awareness stand who would happily furnish you with a glow stick in return for a bottle of pee - not a bad ploy! I’ve seen similar things run at popular student nights such as The Night Before at Oceana. It’s a great way to promote sexual health in young hedonistic students
Despite being huge and exciting, with stair cases to random hidden rooms, The Q Club could really do with a lick of paint inside (the novelty of a dusty old venues is starting to wear a bit thin), and the availability of free tap water is unfortunately non existent. I wonder if it’s still trying to sell itself on memories of the past, rather than looking to making a venue for the future.
3000 odd students got together to party the night away and raise loads of cash for the very worthy Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation
Everyone I spoke to was having a fantastic night out - although I notice a growing trend for people to spend most of the night sat down texting on their phones.
Lots of photos from Infinity Festival can be found here
This week I’ve had the pleasure of shooting Neil Diamond @ the NIA Birmingham. He was was after some great shots of himself and the show, as well as getting a shot of each individual band member in action. there were some quite specific angles, looks, lighting and coverage he was after.
I covered both Birmingham dates, and was allowed to shoot for the entire performance, which was around 2hrs each night! Puts to shame other artists who give an hour or less. This gave me a real advantage, and allowed me to wait for the best lighting and compositions -and to have a wander around the entire venue to pick out some great places to shoot from.
A far cry from my usual limit of 3 songs, and you’re out - The Robert Plant & Alison Kraus gig I last did at the NIA had a polite notice reminding me that my pass was not a ticket to the show, and I was escorted to the door after the 3rd song!
Having the luxury of two nights to get all the shots, I had a really good idea of how the show ran. I got to know when the lights were going to look great for certain band members, and what angles to go for. It also gave me an extra opportunity to get some better photos of the more hidden band members, and to get a great variety of angles and give very balanced coverage of the entire show.
After the show Neil came and spent some time gong through the photos with me, picking out ones he liked, making comments and suggestions. He had a really hands on approach, which was fantastic, its great when a client has a clear vision of what they want and like to get involved with the process.
I’m not really sure if I can post pics up here, as I signed a very heavy release contract that included words such as “universe” so I’ve just included one of my pass - in case there are any lawyers waiting outside to sue my ass
02/06/2008
The Restless Debt of Third World Beauty
Woom Gallery Exhibition by celebrated South African artist Faith47. Her work depicts strong female characters in dilapidated environments. It focuses on the importance and the spirit of the strong female identity through adversity.
A super duper evening : ) Free drinks (check the guy with like 7 beers in his hands), excellent food, and super music all night. Birmingham’s best were all out in full steam.
