Live Band Photo Shoots
Stillia
Who are Stillia? "With new artists emerging left right and centre and manufactured pop acts taking the number 1 spot, it’s becoming more and more difficult for new bands to make their own mark on the industry. So, it’s not every day you find a new up and coming band receiving the help of well-loved comedian and household name, Johnny Vegas, before they even released their debut album. Northern lads, Stillia, managed to do just that.
Initially Jack Bennett (lead singer and guitarist), Matty Bennett (drummer), and Connor Moran (lead guitarist) started the band as part of a school music project, however, after realising their star potential they started playing gigs around their hometown of St Helens. After playing the odd gig at local bars and clubs, they decided to take it further and write their own material to become an originals band. They then enlisted the help in new bass player, Johnny Waring to complete the line-up. A few years down the line with a feature on BBC introducing and 50 plus gigs completed, including a set at MMU’s student union and appearances at local festivals, they’re now dedicating all their time to the band having signed to Manchester label Beautiful Noise. With their new music video having been directed, and starred in, by Johnny Vegas, it’s safe to say this band is well on their way to success. Taking influences from a massive variety of music, the band credit each of their own individual influences for their unique sound, explaining: "We think that our sound is very fresh and modern sounding but it still has that underlying rock background. Our songs are always uplifting and feel good tunes."
Something their management are obviously proud of is BBC 6Music’s Chris Hawkins’ take on Stillia: “There’s no need to debate whether they are indie or pop, Stillia are a fresh and exciting new sound."
Unlike so many artists these days, the indie rock band tend to focus on the live aspect of their music rather than just recording and releasing single after single. Hawkins commented: “Our live show is what we pride ourselves on, it’s where we get to show everyone why we should be doing what we are doing. "They are always very energetic and we definitely go for it at all of our live shows. We always say that any gig could be our most important gig so we give it 100% no matter what."
-Emily Wade. The Northern Quota
Have a listen to Still for yourself on SOUNDCLOUD.
Laura James & The Kadavors
Laura James & The Kadavors are a British rock band hailing from Liverpool and led by singer Laura James. Other band members include guitarist Alex Hilditch, bassist Andrew Pennington and drummer Neil James. Their popular songs include London, Kitty Kat, Masterplan, Fire and other tracks. They can be seen here on stage, recording their performance and demo tracks at the brilliantly, iconic Citadel Theatre in St.Helens.
Wow this girl can sing! Have a listen for yourself over on SOUNDCLOUD.
Why is music photography important and why do we need music photographers? The answer to that is pretty straightforward, it is so that musicians can continue to make money. Marketing is an extremely important role in any business and without marketing correctly, you can’t expect anyone to find you or your work. As an example, a band is putting together a small gig in a local bar, they have the venue, they have the instruments and the equipment, they have the song BUT they need the audience to make any kind of profit from the event. This is where good marketing comes in, all musicians need to showcase their work and performances in order to get the word out there. If it's not promoted well, who's going to turn up? Successful marketing usually results in a successful turnout. The more people know about your music performance the more people will turn up; and what better way to promote your performance than with photographs. The North West has always been a hot bed of talented musicians, there's been so many great artists that have come from both Liverpool, Manchester and the surrounding areas over the years and there's many more up and coming artists now too but there's no doubt it can be difficult to make it and break through to make it big. If you're one of the bands or artists working really hard to make it, make sure you've got the photographs to promote your talent.
You can't beat listening to live music on the stage but documenting it in photographs comes close!
To see how I can help promote your band or event and to book photo shoots, email me at info@stuartmorrisphotography.co.uk or fill in the form below.