As if this weekend couldn’t get any better Saturday afternoon and evening happened and sent the ball flying out of the ground!
This was mainly thanks to one of the two bands on the World Stage that I was assigned to cover – The Destroyers. They were amazing and possibly the best live act I have ever seen.
They were described in the programme as “the biggest, most rowdy, most-hoe-down-tastic 15 piece gypsy-swing-punk-festival smashers” and I don’t think this does them justice. They were part Madness, part Pouges, part Mariachi band and part James Brown’s horn section, led by a bloke in his 60s or 70s with more energy than an 18 year old! They also seemed to have an aversion to shoes and socks and jumped around in bare feet!
Not only were they the best band so far musically and performance wise but they were certainly the most photogenic! I hope my photos convey just some of the energy they possessed!
Yes, that is a kilt he is wearing…
During the bits in between the acts a DJ played some reggae, ragga and other world classics while this guy MC’d. He was excellent and kept the crowd entertained. He also made me feel very welcome while I was in the press pit for two whole performances (I was lucky, usually you only get a maximum of 3 songs before you’re turfed out of the pit):
The headliners of the World Stage were Cornell Campbell & Top Cat supported by Soothsayers. They were OK but not really my kind of thing and a disappointment compared to The Destroyers.
The Soothsayers played on their own for a bit before Cornell Campbell, who is big in Jamaica, came on to sing with them.
My last assignment today was at The Harley to shoot Lulu James. The Harley is not the best venue for photography – the light is really poor and the stage cramped. Tonight they decided in their wisdom to add a smoke machine and strong lights behind Lulu to make my job even harder – thank god for my 430 flash gun!
So that is Saturday over with – roll on tomorrow. Can’t wait!
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