Stop, Don’t Shoot

We wrote this for the magazine with the best intentions but killed it cos we thought it might be patronising. Have a read anyway, but keep that in mind if it infuriates you.

We’ve been to so many gigs now we’ve forgotten half the bands we’ve seen. It’d be nice to have a little reminder of each of them, which is why it’s tempting to whip out your mobile. But actually that’s a terrible idea. For a start it takes you right out of the moment – we pull our hair out when all the phones come out to video a band’s favourite song. Why not enjoy it?

For a start the video is going to be rubbish, especially if you’re dancing while you shoot. Even if you get a shake-free picture, the lights are kind and the sound doesn’t distort, will you ever watch it? Have a look on YouTube – there’s a million unwatchable gig videos there, probably one from the concert you went to. Gigs are great because they’re loud and you’re there in the atmosphere. Even the greatest live DVD sounds like shit or is boring. Likewise gig photos are near impossible to take, meaning we send photographers with hundreds if not thousands of pounds of equipment to shoot with.

By all means take a snapshot, but to relentlessly shoot from the back of the venue is not going to get you anywhere. It’s really frustrating to be behind someone filming – it’s like the TV screen in the pub, you don’t want to look but it draws you in – so lose yourselves in the moment and get stuck into the moshpit for all our sakes.