Jackanory and The Ball, originally uploaded by Ben Grubb.

Here’s another batch of gig photos for ya. A couple of weeks back, I went to see a Pop/Hip-hop act called Jackanory and the Ball at the Bar Music Hall in Shoreditch. A guy called Tom (aka: The Ball) who I met through Twitter while asking for help with After Effects invited me along to shoot them. Despite the slightly lack lustre audience, the guys (with a surprsingly large and eclectic band) put on a great show. I was gutted that I couldn’t see them again at Cargo on the Saturday, which had a much better turn out and vibe by all accounts.

You should download their free EP and have a listen. There are some great, upbeat tunes on there to make the most of what’s left of summer. Check out my shots below…

Jackanory and the Ball, Bar Music Hall, Shoreditch:

First Aid Kit, originally uploaded by Ben Grubb.

A while back, I went to see a pretty cool Swedish folk-y type duo called First Aid Kit play at the (cringe enducingly named) “Relentless Garage” in Islington. It’s a really nice venue, despite the name, and the show was really fun. I also shot some photos and wrote a short review for Call Upon The Author. I hope you enjoy them both. I have plenty more bloggy goodness to come soon. I’m up to my eyes at the moment, but loving every minute…

Mikey, originally uploaded by Ben Grubb.

Over the last couple of months I’ve had the joy and privilege of being able to see Intraverse play in London. It’s always a great night out, not only because they are an amazing band of hugely talented musicians, but they’re also all really good friends of mine and have been for over 10 years (which is is a statistic which is equally warming and worrying). It’s been really great to catch up with them again, and I’m fortunate that they’re all the sort of friends that even when you haven’t seen them for a long while (as was the case when I moved to London) when you finally do meet up it feels like it was only last week when you last saw each other.

Since the last time I wrote about them on here, they have become a five piece with original guitarist Wayne, back in the band (it’s a long story). I was concerned that with two incredible guitarists on stage together, it could all get a bit ‘duelling banjos’ but both Wayne and Andy seem mature and talented enough to realise that they’re better off trying to compliment each other than gunning for the spotlight. It seems to be working really well. Anyway, check out their Myspace page and see what you think. In the mean time, here are some photos from the recent shows…

The Purple Turtle, Camden:

Dublin Castle, Camden:

Edit (22/08/2010): Intraverse played another show at The Purple Turtle, which had past me by until a few days before it happened. Here are the shots from the night though. The lighting was loads better which was really nice…

The Purple Turtle, Camden:

There’s been a lot going on with me recently (as usual), and it’s been quite the mixed bag of both work and play which has been keeping me busy. One of the most exciting things has been the recent hanging of my first public photography exhibition! A month or so ago, I was put in touch with a guy called Pierre who works in a gym in St. James’s Square (SW1). In the gym, they display the work of various, local photographers and artists, and Pierre asked me if I’d like to display some of my night shots from around London. Obviously, I jumped at the chance! There are currently five prints hanging in the gym, with another three to follow soon. Here are a few shots of them in situ…

…There’s also a short blurb about me, along with the photos on their website.

It was a fairly hefty outlay to get everything done (which I guess is the case for any exhibition) but I have to say that I’m really pleased with how the images look, especially framed. Big thanks to Azographics and Stocks Picture Framers for doing a really excellent job on the printing and mounting. All the images are for sale, so if you’ve got a bit of wall space to fill, and would like a unique shot of this beautiful city with which to fill it, let me know!

Flat White, originally uploaded by Ben Grubb.

Here’s a random shot from today. I’ve been spending a lot of time in Starbucks’s (sorry, I don’t know what the correct pluralisation for Starbucks is), particularly the big one on New Oxford Street near Tottenham Court Road tube station. I found that going up there with my MacBook helps me focus, and get more work done, especially review writing and the like, than I would at home. There’s less distractions, and it feels more like you have a proper “office” to go to.

I know it’s probably not the done thing to like big, corporate machines like Starbucks, but I do. Ok, so their business practices might not be totally squeaky clean, but I enjoy spending time in their cafes. They have a relaxed atmosphere which I find good for concentrating on work. Largely I agree that the global take over of chains isn’t the best, but I’m yet to find somewhere in central London which is easy for my to get to (i.e.: one tube), has plenty of space to work, a nice ambience and free, reliable Wi-Fi. Perhaps I’m not looking hard enough. I’ll happy take suggestions.

Another plus side to Starbucks: I really like their branding and general style. Most outlets have really nice artwork and photography on the walls etc, and I really like the simplicity of their mugs and other paraphernalia. They recently started offering Flat White coffees on their menus which made me more excited than it should have done as I really like the new cups that they’re served in (see above).

Anyway, I didn’t intend this post to become a homage to corporate branding; I just wanted to share a new shot which I’m really happy with, and my mind seemed to get carried away. Maybe I should lay off the coffee…

Bury Tomorrow, originally uploaded by Ben Grubb.

Again, if I’d been to see The Hip recently, that would have a been a great pun. I haven’t though, sadly, so we’ll just have to make do for now.

Hello. It’s been a while since I posted anything on here. My life seems to be one perpetual game of catch up at the moment. I’ve been incredibly busy with various things, but that is the way I like it so it’s all good. So, one of things I’ve been doing a lot more in 2010 (which is nearly HALF WAY THROUGH, scarily) is concert photography. Matt at Call Upon the Author and Katy from Creative Boom have been fixing me up with a variety of shows across London which has been hugely enjoyable. One of my high points for the year was definitely finding myself in the photo pit at one of my favourite venues, Brixton Academy. That’s a small, but important career goal I can tick off.

So anyway, I’ve been busy writing and shooting and having a throughly good time. I have also discovered the importance of earplugs. Below are a selection of shots from the shows I’ve been to recently (with corresponding reviews where possible). Enjoy!

A Skylit Drive: Review

Alesana

Bury Tomorrow

Idlewild (again): Review

Sparrow and the Workshop (again)

I’ve also been to see Wintersleep again (shocking, I know). I went to a couple of shows on their recent tour, but here’s just one set of photos from their show at The Lexington in London.


Wintersleep

I have also updated my concert photography gallery with a selection of my favourite shots. So yeah, all in all, pretty busy. I hope you’ve enjoyed this little catch up on the last month or so in (part of) my photographic life. There’s more stuff to come soon, but for now, I’m off to enjoy a lazy bank holiday Sunday evening with my girlfriend. See ya soon!

Moon Over St. Pauls, originally uploaded by Ben Grubb.

I had another, and possibly last, trip out with Phil the other night. Phil’s off travelling for an undetermined length of time soon, so we had to make the most it. Luckily, it was a beautiful spring evening, so we headed up the Northern Line to Chalk Farm and up on to Primrose Hill. I’d been there before, but never at night. I had totally forgotten how spectactular the view from up there is! I think it was helped by a beautiful full moon too, which you don’t often get to capture. It reminded me that, although it has it’s faults, I do really love this city! Here’s a few of my favourites:

…I also took a pretty successful panorama, which takes in a lot of the London landmarks.

After a few previous nights out with Phil that have either been rained off, or we just had too many beers before actually taking any photos, it was nice to go out on a bang.

Blue, originally uploaded by Ben Grubb.

“Burn it down till the embers smoke on the ground
And start new when your heart is an empty room
With walls of the deepest blue…”

The sun was out today in London, and we went for a nice walk along the river. It was still freezing cold though! I can’t wait for summer…

Well, as I mentioned before; I went to see The Little Million again on Monday night. They played a short, 20 minute or so set at The Water Rats on Grays Inn Road. It was another good, energetic show and I managed to get another set of good photos. The lighting was pretty changeable, so I decided to try using a little fill in flash for a change. It actually worked really well, especially for the close up portraits. I was in two minds about using it, but I think in the end it was the only real way to get continuous, decent shots. I also tried to redress the balance by getting some shots of Ross (the bassist) who was pretty much totally in the dark during the Hoxton Bar & Kitchen show. He turned out to be rather photogenic, with an incredibly expressive face. And hair.

I’ve added the very best of the set to my set on Flickr. Have a look and see what you think. I’m starting at amass quite a good selection of shots now. It’s gonna be time to update my gallery on here soon I think…

Canary Wharf & The O2 Arena, originally uploaded by Ben Grubb.

Well, last night out with Phil was far more successful than the previous week. I was determined to get the shot I wanted (see above) of Canary Wharf and the O2 together. We both did some research this time and ended up in the right place instead of being stuck behind a seemingly never ending series of dead ends and locked gates. We actually ended up in a spot which I’d been to before but for some reason couldn’t make the shot work, and chalked it up to being in the wrong place. Also, it was a lot drier last night which made everything far more clearer. No evening out with Phil ever seems complete though, without us climbing out onto/over/along some rickety looking jetty, above the freezing cold Thames. Last night was no different. We cautiously picked our way across the banks of the river to get steps leading up to the first one, being as careful as possible in the dark (with no torch, yet again). I thought I was on fairly safe ground, until the ground I thought was fairly safe began to creep up my leg and into my shoes. Twice I have been down to the Thames Barrier and twice I have come home covered in silt. Bloody stuff.

My shoes after yet another silt based incident…

Anyway, the shots were worth it, and continued out towards the Barrier, stopping again briefly for Phil to engage in some comedy stylings, in the form of him not being able to climb over a fence due to his skinny jeans. I told you no could can come of them. Just say no kids. He finally managed to lollop himself over and we were out onto the second jetty of the evening, which offered us a slightly less cluttered view of Canary Wharf and the Dome. I was a happy boy! A few photos of the Thames Barrier later and we were toasting our victorious evening in the pub with a well earned pint and warm whiskey! It’s always a satisfying experience to have a successful night out with the cameras. I’d definitely like to head back down that way again in the summer as, although I got the shots I wanted, it did still seem annoyingly hazy – hopefully a warm summer evening will sort that out. Now we just have to plan our next trip…