Swim Deep & Bill Ryder-Jones; 2 artists I shot in 2024, in fact, but not like this.
The last time I saw Swim Deep, shooting them at the Deaf Institute, was part of the tour for their “There’s A Big Star Outside” album. It’s a dreamy, ethereal, chilled record, one of my albums of the year.
And it was produced by one of my favourite artists ever, Bill Ryder-Jones. You can tell it’s his production all over it, adding a beautiful quality to the record. BRJ and Swim Deep are a perfect match.
It’s only right to prove that with a gig! Swim Deep playing album, with special guest Bill Ryder-Jones on guitar.
The venue was perfect – Night & Day Cafe, in Manchester. It has a capacity of 250 – compared to around 2500 last time I shot Bill – which meant an intimate setting for the performance.
When there’s no photo pit I try and avoid getting in the crowd’s way for too long. So within the tiny confines of Night & Day, I politely asked to stand at the front. And reassured the fans there that I’d move after one song. They’ve not come to see the back of my head, after all!
But the beauty of the venue is that you can freely access the side and the back of the stage. Sure, for regular punters this probably isn’t an attractive view. But it was perfect for me!
The set was ace – filled with the album tracks and other (brilliant) cuts that didn’t quite make it. The music sounded wonderful, especially in the smaller venue.
The highlight for me though was the camaderie on stage, and how obvious it was that the musicians were enjoying themselves!
It was a wonderful night. The small capacity meant this was for the die-hard fans (although the shouts from the crowd just for Bill felt slightly awkward!) and there’s no doubt everyone was going home happy. Including the artists.
Perfect night; no notes.
