Wednesday night seen a visit to the ABC2 in Glasgow for Brendan Benson’s gig.
The ABC2 is probably my favourite venue for watching live music but it was a bit of a challenge shooting there.

The good news was that the lighting was pretty much static. The bad news was that there wasn’t a lot of light.
I had also turned up without earplugs, which is a mistake I made once before when shooting a Mark E Smith and the Fall gig (could i have picked a louder gig?) , and one I’ve not made since.
The bar staff thankfully furnished me with fresh pair for which I was very grateful.

For those who don’t know the ABC2, it’s a small venue with the stage on one of the longer sides of the room. There was no photo pit so i had to shoot from the crowd which, having been spoiled with big stages, and nice roomy photo pits recently was a real nuisance. I’m not the smallest guy in the world and it was a fine line trying to balance the competing goals of getting the right shots, and not annoying the fans that had paid to see the gig.

I didn’t manage to get right to the barrier at the front so I was shooting over the heads of the (thankfully) smaller die hards who had fought the way there and were defending their positions well.

Strangely I hadn’t been given any warnings or instructions about the rules of shooting this gig. I assumed the default position of “first three, no flash”. Maybe i should have kept shooting until asked to stop, but I didn’t. Probably safer to stop early than to annoy the fans or the security guys.

This was also the first outing for my new Nikon 24-70mm F2.8. The lens performed as well as I had hoped. I also had my trusty 50mm prime with me, but as the place was packed and i was squeezing through the crowd, if had left in my camera bag with my friend at the back of the venue. Hindsight says I should have put the 50mm on for a few shots to make the most of the larger aperture, but hindsight is great when your at home after the gig.

Most people who love music have a little bit of music snobbery in them. They like things small, exclusive, a little elitist and, most of all, things that no-one else knows about.

One of the artists who has pride of place in the pantheon of “I know someone great you don’t know” is Brendan Benson. How music with such a lovely mixture of melody and witty, touching lyrics has managed to pass so many people by is a constant source of wonder to most who have heard it, but, there’s the rub: very few have. In a very selfish way, most fans are very grateful for it.

So, you can imagine the disappointment when, in 2006, Brendan teamed up with his friend, the ubiquitous Jack White, to form one quarter of the inevitably huge Raconteurs. It seemed he would be lost forever, to the usual mob of johnny-come-latelys, who will no doubt bay for ‘Steady As She Goes’ ahead of ‘Tiny Spark’.

However, on hearing the newest album My Old, Familiar Friend, released last year, it was clear that he had lost none of his own distinctive style to his sojourn into the world of super-stardom, and this was displayed in the tiny ABC2 venue.

Brendon Benson ABC2 Glasgow

Making a relatively quick return to Glasgow, having last toured the UK in October to promote the new release, the show was downgraded from the much larger QMU with just one week’s notice. It is clear from the audience this is a fan’s gig, a notion reflected in the setlist – opening with three songs from second album Lapalco, here is a set without an agenda or promotional point to push.

Early sound issues – seemingly inevitable in Glasgow – are sorted during the opener “Folk Singer”, which is followed by a storming version of “Good to Me”. This pace continues for the first 5 or so songs, with barely a break or a word between to allow or acknowledge the audience’s warm reaction. This gives the first half of the show a rather clinical feel. It is only after picking up the acoustic guitar for the middle section of the set that Benson starts to relax and engage, and the rest of the set warms considerably, rattling through something of a greatest hits list (for those in the know, naturally).

Highlights include “Cross-eyed” and “I’m Blessed” from first album One Mississippi, and a slightly reworked version of Lapalco’s “You’re Quiet”. Songs from the latest album are few and far between, but those played include “Eyes on the Horizon” and “Poised and Ready”, which stands up very well to the more established material – clearly they have passed the test of earlier touring.

And so, it is pleasing to report that Brendan’s place on the list of hidden gems remains assured. It’s OK though, if he’s ever feeling a little under appreciated, he can always put his little top hat back on and return to the world of the Raconteurs, which hopefully means we get to keep his solo work all to ourselves for a little longer.

Photos © 2010 Chris Osborne, heatlightandnoise.com

The site has been under construction for a week or so now as i attempt to move away from flickr, and actually get my work organised and properly displayed.

I’ve had a bit of job on my hands getting this part of the site done, and trying to get my photo archive sorted out at the same time.

As is frequently true half the battle has been identifying what needs to be done, and then properly organising it.
Over the coming weeks i’ll be putting some of my experiences on here, in case it can help anyone else out.

Cheers

Chris