2011: Best of Photos

2011 was a big year for me in photography. I got my first SLR at the end of 2010 and up to July 2011 I only was able to take band photos in little venues after sweet talking the bouncers. By the end of 2011 I had photographed two massive festivals of international bands, broken 1 lens mid-Future of the Left gig, broken 1 camera mid-Soundwave Counter-Revolution festival, had photos printed in a magazine (in Canberra of all places) and been able to get up close with so many bands I loved.

It's been fun. I would like to thank Alternative Music Hub and Tone Deaf for allowing me to occasionally photograph for them. 2012 will see me dragging my camera wherever possible and hopefully being able to take some more larger bands/festival photos. If you're reading this and you want me to take photos for your publication/band/etc, please hit me up on photo@moshpitson.com.

Now that's all done, here's my favourite live music photos I took last year. This list has been impossible to make as I keep changing my mind and I tried to only limit it to 1 photo per show.

20. The Chariot, Sun Distortion Studios, April 20

This gig was absolutely insane. Despite being a small room with one small bulb from the roof making for horrible lighting, the band was so crazy that most photos turned out. Even this one of the bass player being carried out the door while still playing.

19. The Damned Things, Soundwave Counter-Revolution, Riverstage, September 24

Although not an action shot, I just really enjoy this picture of Damned Things/Every Time I Die lead singer Keith Buckley walking off stage. (See the full gallery here)

18. The Walkmen, Harvest Festival, Riverstage, November 19

I had been waiting the better part of a decade to see the Walkmen. This picture of the lead singer looking suave and slightly 1950s is everything I had ever imagined about this band. (See the full gallery here)

17. The Grates, Tivoli, October 28

Patience, the energetic lead singer, is generally the focus of attention in the Grates live show. However, in this picture, John shows he can still get his boogie on. (See the full gallery here)

16. Alesana, Soundwave Counter-Revolution, Riverstage, September 24

I may not be the biggest fan of their music, but their live show was sure fun to watch. Even though my camera was minutes away from breaking, this shot of the guitarist mid-dance at the back of the stage managed to capture some of the action. (See the full gallery here)

15. Army of Champions, the Jubilee, November 17

It was the first time I had seen, let alone heard of, this band and I fell in love. This picture captures all of them singing/shouting at once, in the Against Me! punk vibe they put out.

14. Man Overboard, The Globe, September 3

Whenever I watch a punk show, it's always my goal to get a picture of a guitar jump. It's bloody hard and very rarely works out. This shot was taken just as I put the flash on my camera and before I even had it set up properly and it needed a lot of post-editing to not be dark. The post-editing gave it a very old-school film feel I think. (See the full gallery here)

13. Raein, Sun Distortion Studios, December 31

This was one of the last photos I took in 2011, of the Italian screamo band playing the last Sun Distortion Studios show. The whole energy of the set was intense, with almost everyone in the band screaming into any microphone that was near them and just jumping around like madmen. Was a great way to see out 2011.

12. Periphery, the Zoo, July 29

The first gig I shot for any reason apart from for fun. Although I had to jostle with the crowd a lot to get shots, they were just fun to photograph. Every shot I took had them in different poses and it was really hard to pick a single photo for the best of list! (See the full gallery here)

11. Nuclear Summer, Sun Distortion Studios, December 31

Nuclear Summer will go down as one of my favourite local bands in 2011. This shot shows basically everyone you see regularly at gigs in Brisbane just getting into the song as well.

10. The National, Harvest Festival, Riverstage, November 19

The lighting, the mist, the composition... I think it really just goes hand in hand with the style of music that is the National. (See the full gallery here)

9. La Dispute, the Zoo, January 25

Adam Vass screaming into the mike. This was my favourite photo for the first half of the year.

8. Architecture in Helsinki, the Tivoli, September 25

I couldn't take my eyes or lens off the front man of Architecture in Helsinki. I think of this picture as the hipster music version of Egon from Ghostbusters. (See the full gallery here)

7. Every Time I Die, HiFi, September 23

The second Keith Buckley picture of the top 10. He's just such an an enigmatic front man, you can't help to take a lot of photos of him. This photo was part of a set of photos I took of him just tossing the microphone around in between singing. (See the full gallery here)

6. Trash Talk, Step Inn, February 25

This was taken the night before Soundwave festival, in a special flood benefit fundraiser in the small band room of the Step Inn. Trash Talk, as always, were absolutely nuts on stage and barely kept still. This photo made the countdown purely for the expression of the guy on the side of stage. That's what everyone feels like after watching the insanity and non-stop movement of the Trash Talk live show.

5. Jim Ward, Alhambra, August 13

If I was to give an award for the worst lighting in a venue to take photos in, it would be Alhambra. One spot light and a mirror behind the performer. But I managed to get this shot with the lights above the bar reflected beautifully in the mirror. Artistic almost. (See the full gallery here)

4. AC4, The Zoo, April 7

I was lucky enough to see Dennis Lyxzen (lead singer of Refused/International Noise Conspiracy) twice this year in different forms. Dennis is renowned for his stage performane, and at the Zoo in his hardcore band AC4 he showed us all why. Despite only landing in Australia a few hours earlier, he danced like a mad man and finished writhing on the floor while still singing.

3. Touche Amore, Old Museum, September 8

I got to take most of my pictures on stage, which is rare for me in such a large venue. I was singing along the whole time and this whole band photo, with Jeremy screaming, was turned into a poster for my friend Jess who's hand is sticking out in the crowd. (See the full gallery here)

2. Flaming Lips, Harvest Festival, Riverstage, November 19

Anyone who has seen a Flaming Lips show will know about how insane it is. The photo pit was packed and I took about 400 photos just of the first 3 songs of these guys. So much was going on it was so hard to keep up with the action. This is a shot of Wayne just as he unleashed streamers from his blow gun, with more streamers in the background and all of the photographers trying to get a good angle. (See the full gallery here)

1. Fucked Up, Alhambra, December 9

What you can't see is the fact that I'm singing like a manic into the microphone while taking this photo.

Reunions et al

Last week I was musing on Twitter about the rumours of two of my favourite bands reforming.  I said that as much as I'd like to see either At the Drive-In or Refused reunite, I'd be afraid. They both left on amazing albums and have built a legacy and a legend that is way bigger than they ever were as bands. If they came back, like most reunions, it would shatter everything they once were about.

Well today both of them were announced as reuniting for Coachella. Just look at this line up:

I'm already looking up tickets to California just to attend. The Refused press release hints at it being a one-off show only. At the Drive-In's new website hints to something bigger. The thing about both bands though, is that they were known for outlandish small venue shows and showmanship. Having seen various members of both bands randomly throughout the year, I can vouch for this (AC4, Jim Ward, Omar Rodriguez-Lopez).

I want to see them, but goodness I hope it's short lived and doesn't undersell their value like the Pixies did.

Time will tell...

Dennis Lyxzen

Everyone should watch this video. Shot before coming on stage at the Zoo. It was a great set by them and this video has a bit of insight to Dennis Lyxzen as a man. And by man, I mean a legend.

A Few Minutes With AC4 from A FEW MINUTES WITH on Vimeo.

You can see me in a lot of the live video taking photos for my review that's right here.

Review: Star Fucking Hipsters/AC4/The Quickening/The Mercy Beat, the Zoo, April 7 2011

With the punk royalty (and washed-up sell-outs, as Dennis called them) the Dead Kennedys playing a few suburbs away, it was a smallish crowd that trickled into the Zoo for a Thursday night punk show. A show that had an eerie vibe that made me think of many a 4ZZZ Punkfest show.

First up, playing to no more than a handful of punters standing way back in the shadows, were one of my favourite local bands, the Mercy Beat. They started playing only a few minutes after doors opened, which is a rarity at the Zoo. By their own accounts, they started poorly, but it was loud and hard enough that I didn’t really notice. After profusely apologising to the few in attendance, they ripped through a tight set off of their album How to Shampoo a Yak. At this point a few people came out to dance around and heckle the band, I’m guessing they were mates.

Following the hard rock/punk stylings of the Mercy Beat, things took a rather dramatic turn into metal, with local boys the Quickening taking to the stage. The band seemed pieced together with characitures: a Garth from Wayne’s World on guitar, Willie Nelson on guitar/vocals and the bass player seemed a bit like Andrew Stockdale of Wolfmother. Despite their 80’s all-stars look, they were very tight, even if they were the self-proclaimed “token-metal band of the evening.”

Metal Willie Nelson.

Metal Garth.



The crowd was building at this point, and during their last song they got a little circle pit happening. But I was starting to fan-girl, as I saw Dennis Lyxzen in the background getting ready for his band, AC4, who were coming up next.



When theses Swedes, comprised of three-quarters of the legendary hardcore band Refused did take the stage, I was just blown away. Despite having flown the 35+ hours from Sweden and only landing that morning, they did not relent. Dennis showed why he’s one of the best performers in music, spending the better part of 40 minutes not stopping: dancing, doing the worm, running, jumping, screaming, swinging off the roof, skanking, all while singing their short and fast hardcore punk songs. The band were also quite talkative. They gave us how they write their new songs “we start slow, then we follow it with fast, then faster, then much faster” and how everything is downhill from 28, mocking a girl next to me who was about to turn 28.





AC4 played a great selection of songs from their short history together, and I found myself putting down the camera and singing along with fist pumps most of the time. That’s exactly what their music is about. At the end of the set they trooped off stage for all of 3 seconds before coming and doing an encore for us, which was the Motorhead cover that I posted a few days earlier. For a band that started playing together in Umea 20+ years ago, who formed one of the most influential hardcore bands before breaking up under very inauspicious circumstances, to put aside their differences and come together to make great hardcore music again and still put on a great kickass show while forgetting the past... I forgot where I’m going with this spiel. It was just bloody good.




The crowd dwindled slightly after AC4, but all of the Mohawk and denim-jacket clad punks moved up to the front for Star Fucking Hipsters. And when they started, the whole floor just became a sea of skanking and moshing. On stage, the female lead singer seemed to be struggling, and even had a sheet of lyrics in hand. But after a few songs, we found out why. She had been bought into the band less than a week before with the departure of the previous female singer. She struggled through some songs, singing off queue, but getting friendly reminders from the male lead. In her hands she had a handy cheat sheet of lyrics. But apart from a few slip ups with timing and forgotten words, she did okay. The Hipsters played a variety of music, at times sounding like ska, sometimes grindcore, sometimes punk, a dash of metal and then just some random hardcore. The punks in the audience loved it, and despite not knowing much myself, I enjoyed the old-school-punk vibe and music they gave off.






The last song was when everything finally seemed to click though. The lyrics sheet was gone, the music was all in time and the band really came together for a solid song. Earlier in the night, Phil and I had been talking about which end of a tour is better to be on, and we both agreed that you the last show on the tour is the best. This show however was the very first of the tour, with bands jet lagged and still learning to play with new members. If the Star Fucking Hipsters can click like in their last song of the set though, I’ll be jealous of the punters who get to see the last few shows of the tour.

Slow news month

The blog, she's been a bit quiet of late. After the glut of concert announcements of February (and the glut of concerts) things have slowed down as we await the April/May insanity of touring. This weekend alone I've got at least 3 gigs to attend, and more that I just can't. To say I'm a little excited is on understatement.

So in my normal fashion, here's a listing of news and things I should've blogged about but just never got around to doing.

AC4/Star Fucking Hipsters
I've been ranting about this for a while, but on Thursday I finally get to see Dennis Lyxzen perform (in non-techno format). He's back in hardcore mode with AC4 and he's pretty much invented most dance moves singers perform these days.

The local bands for this gig at the Zoo are the Mercy Beat and the Quickening, two of the better heavy bands around. I'm especially in love with the Mercy Beat since seeing them at the Bronx and getting my hands on their album. Get there early for a great night of punk. An amazing night of punk.

Phantoms/Friends With the Enemy
More Australian bands that I love. Phantoms are awesome hardcore punk from Sydney that I've been following since a small basement show last year and Friends with Enemy are like A Wilhelm Scream with a female singer.

They're coming together for an awesome punk night at Girls and Boys (X & Y). April 14th, with special 2 for 1 entry if you're a student. And of course cheaper if you know the password.

The Beards
They are a band that sing songs about beards. While having massive beards. With a folk/humour angle. Basically, they're awesome. And the Beards are playing Rics on April 10th.

You can get some of their stuff from Triple J Unearthed. And after listening, you know you want to see this with a few beers. And beards.

Segression
When I was younger, and just moved to the USA, I got all nostalgic for Australian music. And at the same time I was obsessed with metal. All that together lead to me being obsessed with Segression. 15 years on and I had forgotten about them. They still sit their on my CD case though and once a year I pop it back in.

Turns out they are still going strong, and are about to hit the road again. Playing Rosies on May 20th.

MySpace

All these gigs mentioned are 18+.

AC4/Star Fucking Hipsters

The guy singing in this music video, his name is Dennis. He is from Sweden. About 10 years ago he was in a hardcore band. A few years after that he was in an indie band. The hardcore band changed the musical landscape forever. The indie band, did alright too.

8 days ago I thought I'd get the only chance of my life to see him, and not only that, but see him play a Refused song. Sure, it was the Bloody Beetroots hardcore-techno remix of New Noise, but Dennis still sang. I was happy.

And then this dropped today:
Shit was lost.

You may not recognize the band names, but AC4 has Dennis as the lead singer. And another guy who was in Refused. And they are playing hardcore music together. More old school hardcore-punk than Refused style, but it's still good.

And not just that, but they are joined by the Star Fucking Hipsters, a band playing ska-punk featuring members of Leftover Crack.

April 7, the Zoo.

AC4
Star Fucking Hipsters

Bloody Beetroots vs Refused

Announced last week as part of the Big Day Out festival, Italy's electronic group Bloody Beetroots have announced a very, very special guest for their Australian tour. And it's made me oh so bloody well excited. Clue:

The lead singer of one of my all time favourite (and classic) hardcore bands, Dennis Lyxzen of Refused (and International Noise Conspiracy and AC4) will be joining them for the Big Day Out. There's no news what they'll be playing yet, but apparently their current live shows include a cover of the classic Refused song New Noise (the above video). If they do that, I will probably die happy on the spot. It will be the closest I will ever get to seeing Refused, apart from my DVD.