Live Music & Live Photos

Beside photography, my other passion in life has always been music.
I also ended up spending quite a few years of my early life playing in a few bands in Italy, mainly on a strict Fender Stratocaster/Marshall diet. But that's another story, so let's move on.

So, in terms of music, what better city than London to go out and watch a concert almost every night? Actually, that was not the reason I moved there, but it did help a bit.
I soon came to realise that was the combination of music & photography to really intrigue me. Whether an album cover (say, London Calling, Abbey Road, you got the idea) or pics taken at live shows (Iggy Pop did come to mind,) photographs have always had a big impact on me.
The impact of music photography has always been very strong.

Outside the Club (Pt. I)
Bogotá (COL)
Nikon F4s / Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 AF-D / Kodak TMax 400 @ 3200
Epson Perfection 4490

Outside the Club (Pt. II)
The World's End, Camden Town, London (UK)
Olympus OM-2n / Zuiko OM 50mm 1:1.4 / Fuji Neopan 1600
Epson Perfection 4490

Those were my hybrid years. Meaning, I'd be going around with whatever camera, being either a film or a digital one. But I did soon come to the realisation that my film images were far more interesting and satisfying to my eye. Not something I would be surprised of, but it did take me a bit to come to such a, duh, 'conclusive conclusion.'

The World's End, Camden Town - London (UK)
Olympus OM-2n / Zuiko OM 50mm 1:1.4 / Fuji Neopan 1600
Epson Perfection 4490

Festivals had never been my forte. All that front stage infighting between photographers in that tiny 10 minutes-or-so window allowed has never really been for me.
Not to mention the 'mega telephoto lens a must' rule, as I'm not a big fun of tele-photos to begin with.
Nah.
I very soon opted for the more intimate, though not less insane small clubs, pubs scene instead.

The World's End, Camden Town - London (UK)
Olympus OM-2n / Zuiko OM 50mm 1:1.4 / Fuji Superia 1600

The World's End, Camden Town - London (UK)
Olympus OM-2n / Zuiko OM 50mm 1:1.4 / Fuji Neopan 1600
Epson Perfection 4490

I'd usually go with 2, 3 rolls and that'd be it.
Cameras of choice: Olympus OM-1 and OM-2n. I'd pick either one of the two, never both (I like to travel light.) Occasionally I'd pick up a flash, too which would be almost always left in the bag.

But, as I've already mentioned, many of the concerts I went to were done with digital gear. Sadly, the visual record of incredible gigs I witnessed at the Brixton Academy, the Dublin Castle, the Dingwalls, and many more venues are now in some hard drive that won't even start, or whose cables are forever lost and which I can't find a replacement for.
So, may I add thankfully, I am left with the ones I shot on analog, and all of the negatives are still safe and well with me.

Here in Bogotá the music scene is rather different from what I was used to, but that does not mean you will not find a kick-ass concert here and there. On the contrary. So, anytime I hear of an upcoming show, I'll just pick up a camera, a couple of rolls and live those London days again.

Chapinero, Bogotá (COL)
Nikon F4s / Nikkor 50mm 1:1.8 AF-D / Kodak TMax 400 @ 3200
Epson Perfection 4490

I want to clarify something.
I am well aware I am writing a blog about analog photography, which is directed at analog photographers. However, I feel I should write it to all photographers.
Reason being, the impact of a chemically created image is so overwhelmingly more raw, brutally honest and uncompromisingly more sincere as opposed to the coldness of its digital counterpart.
If you haven't changed a roll in utter complete obscurity, and set your hyperfocal distance in such conditions, watched all the concert without wasting half of your time looking at that LCD screen, well you ain't lived much.

The Hope & The Anchor, Finsbury Park - London (UK)
Olympus OM-2n / Zuiko OM 50mm 1:1.4 / Kodak TriX 400 @ 1600
Epson Perfection 4490

Yes, I'll stick to what I've said.