It's been quite a long time since I saw a band's first show. That could largely be due to my age, no one I know is playing their first shows anymore.
Increasingly, I'm at a lot of bittersweet final shows.
But last night was my the debut show for my pals in Crashes and it was pretty cool.
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You wouldn't expect a band on their first show to be the finished article, but Crashes are a little closer than most. The songs are really well crafted and there is "a sound" there. Obviously, the more shows they get under their belt the more polished the performances will be.
But for a first showing, it was admirable.
The slightly rawer nature of the live versions of these songs gives them a new life. Kind of like how Biffy Clyro sound really polished on record then get more aggressive in the flesh.
Which isn't to say they deserve a lazy comparison to Biffy just because they're Scottish. They actually feel a lot more like Brand New if they took themselves less seriously and spend more time in the pub than gazing into their own souls.
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Broadcast, though a great wee venue, is pretty brutal if you're a photographer. Lighting is very much not on your side. I was brave and tried to all of Crashes set without flash for come ambient mood lighting, but so little light, what there was being purples and reds made it a bold but ultimately doomed endeavour.
Most of these are still without a flash, and shot at 2.8 even though I could go down to 1.8 on the trusty old 50mm and 85mm, but all the drummer stuff and later in the set shots needed that extra light it turned out.
An important reminder that though I may not like using flash at all if I can avoid if, it still has a place in my camera bag.
