The last week has been rather manic so it’s taken me a bit longer than usual to upload photos and write a blog about my adventures. This new collection of photos is from an interesting couple of days I spent as a freelance music industry photographer (free being the operative word).

Several weeks ago I stumbled onto a website for a local music industry conference/festival called City Showcase. The three day festival takes place in Central London with free entrance to workshops, in-store performances and gigs throughout the days and evenings. I figured it

would be an opportunity to learn more about the UK music industry, potentially make some contacts, take more photos and (most importantly) get to see some cool new bands.

So on Thursday the 7th May I caught a bus to Regent Street (loving the fact that I live close enough to catch busses into town). I was assigned a number of events to photograph including the day’s workshops at The Apple Store on Regent Street. The workshops were really interesting and I expected to learn a whole lot about the UK music industry. It was surprisingly reassuring that I didn’t learn anything new… clearly the knowledge and experience I gained in the South African music industry is relevant and transferable.

I also took a wander through Carnaby Street where various new bands and solo artists were doing in-store performances in shops, cafes and restaurants. There was a really cool vibe in the area with oblivious tourists and shoppers looking very confused to find live music in most of the stores around the area.

In-store performances are not the best way to hear a band. They’re generally watered down with terrible acoustics, the awkwardness of retail lighting and floor-space that is hardly conducive to watching bands. Although they certainly have their merits in allowing artists to reach people who wouldn’t normally venture into a live music venue. Here are a few words on the artists I saw.

Dan Raza @ The Apple Store
Dan had a very good voice and strong songs. His stage presence was a bit dull but I’m assuming he’d be much better if the audience was holding beers rather than checking their email on iMacs.

Scott Raba @ Fornarina
The thing that impressed me most about Scott Raba’s performance was the way he managed the awkwardness of dodgy sound issues. I’ve seen far too many artists freak out about sound issues or broken guitar strings. Scott was clearly upset when his guitar kept going dead, but rather than quit he simply stepped away from the mic and sang to the small crowd in the store. To be perfectly honest I think he really excelled when playing his songs on such an intimate level (campfire style).

Andy Stedman @ Henri Lloyd
Andy was joined by another guitarist and a backing vocalist, so this was the most band members I saw in a shop. His songs were generally acoustic pop but I picked up this odd hint of country in a few of them, I think that was mainly from the female backing vocalist’s style. This was over a week ago, so my evaluation is a little hazy.

Ashley Hicklin @ Sacred Café
I had very mixed feelings about Ashley Hicklin. I was so impressed by his energy and pure commitment to each note. It was clear that every song he sang came from a very influential place in his life. He also had a very peculiar voice, so it was refreshingly different. Normally I’m a sucker for whiney singers but I couldn’t help thinking that if I heard Ashley Hicklin on the radio he would sound a lot like James Blunt and that would surely drive me to shoot myself. He has just signed a record deal so I’m curious to hear that album when it becomes available.

At the end of the day I was back in the Apple Store for a public A&R session. Artists were invited to submit their demos for feedback from industry professionals. It was a bit disappointing that they didn’t have a label representative there, because they could have offered real feedback on why those artists won’t get signed. Instead they had Ross Gautreau (ASCAP), Simon Price (The Independent) and Eringa (Producer). While they may have valuable advice, they can say that they like experimental music that a label would never touch because it’s not commercially viable. I was impressed with most of the demos and it was a real testament to the high class of bedroom recordings. The highlight of the listening session was a song by Chocolate Blonde. It is absolutely terrible in a way that could make it a #1 hit with synchronised dance moves and everything.

I didn’t get to make any valuable business contacts, but it was a good day in the city with some good music and a chance for me to offer the UK music industry something with my photos. The karma paid off because the very next day London returned the favour by offering me a job at an independent label.