A Day In the Life of a Northern Music Photographer

My name is Elspeth Moore and I spend a lot of my week on Britain’s M62 motorway travelling for 45 minutes each way to the majority of gigs or...
A Day In the Life of a Northern Music Photographer

A Day In the Life of a Northern Music Photographer

My name is Elspeth Moore and I spend a lot of my week on Britain’s M62 motorway travelling for 45 minutes each way to the majority of gigs or music related events.

Neneh Cherry

Dave Haslam and Neneh CherryOn Sunday, July 7th, I popped over to Manchester City centre for a lunchtime interview, between Hacienda DJ Dave Haslam and Neneh Cherry.  The interview took place in a specially erected tent for the MIF (Manchester International Festival).  Haslam asked her questions and she cheerfully and truthfully answered; it was a refreshing insight to the woman that is NOT doing a “comeback,” as she’s (in her words) never been away.  But has got herself a new band ‘The Thing’ and performed three gigs with them over the weekend.  Her current album, The Cherry Thing, is a powerful, delicious piece of work.

Neneh Cherry in conversation

Live From Jodrell Bank

Jodrell Bank Radio TelescopeThen it was onto Live From Jodrell Bank, a music event at a centre for astrophysics, where the line-up was perfectly put together.  It was uncharacteristically BOILING hot, the smell of baked potatoes and sun lotion filled the air.

The Whip

you must Whip itI arrived in time to see Oldham’s The Whip.  I dived into the pit and did the standard three songs, but as with many of the bands I ended up dancing AND photographing.  They were bloody brilliant, from the get go.  Building into one of those sets that get’s the crowd geed up…  Whoop’s and arms in the air for the next band.

The Whip

Public Service Broadcasting

too cool for school?Public Service Broadcasting, whose set was hypnotic, repetitive and if the two “geeky” lads on stage hadn’t let their faces crack into cheeky smiles, you would think they were too cool for school.  Their current single “Everest” is being played more and more on British radio.

Public Service Broadcasting

Johnny Marr

give us a kiss, luvNext up was Johnny Marr.  I’ve met him a few times now and he’s a god of a man on stage.   ‪He doesn’t command adoration, but he gets it anyway.  “Johnny Fucking Marr” the crowd shouted ‪as he walked confidently onto the stage, his guitar held up like he was proud of the trophy he was about to win.  ‪Cool isn’t a big enough word for this man.  ERRRR… I can’t think of one, so really, really effing cool will have to do.  He caught my eye and threw me a wink.  SNAP gotcha!  Then a couple of moments later he pouted a kiss at me… ‪the photos I was getting just added to the fantastic performance.  Even though I had long since left the pit with ‪the growing crowd of purple-jacketed photographers once the beginning of “How Soon Is Now?” started, I ‪was singing along with everyone else… and “There is a light that will…” it was like a big reunion.  Superb!  ‪ Bernard Sumner joined for a little trip down the Electronic lane as the sun set.

Johnny fuckin' Marr

New Order

New Order on the moonNew Order were amazing.  The stage was Bernard’s; he joyfully sang all the songs that the crowd ‪had come to hear.  “Blue Monday” was greeted with bouncing and kids and girlfriends up on shoulders.  ‪I was thrust an ‘artist’ lanyard and golden wristband and so was able to stay at the front after the ‪three song rule was over…  The Jodrell Bank Radio Telescope had turned round and the ‪projections started halfway through the performance.  Dusk had fallen and green laser beams were lighting up the trees.  The smoke machine worked, giving even more atmosphere ‪every bit of the visual effects had been planned, and then “Atmosphere” happened.  I took myself off to the clearing in front of the enormous round screen and watched, photographed, and took the sound to my soul.  Having the giant disco ball screened onto the disk was breath taking.  By the end of the gig it was like being in a huge firework, lights, smoke, images, loud music, happy people.

lights bouncing

Tim Burgess

So, after chatting for a bit backstage, “wasn’t that amazing” sort of thing, my friends and I jetted over to Manchester again, to The Deaf Institute.  Tim Burgess had ‪travelled up after the day’s gig in Delamere Forest, and was doing a DJ set.

‪Fantastic Motown and Northern Soul tunes took us dancing to 2am with another glitter ball ‪scattering it’s light over the room and us.

‪A perfect music filled day!

Sunday, July 7th

Categories
Concert Reviews
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