exetercavern — Blog — MarthaFPhoto

I was sent to photograph a metalcore band called Griever on behalf of RAMzine magazine at their gig in Exeter. As my live review is being posted over on their website, I though I’d take the time to share a few of my favourite images from the gig and a few photos from the promo shoot I organised before the show.

Above are the live images of Griever, which I edited in a slightly different way to what I usually do. For the black and white images I used much darker tones within them, the shadows and blacks are a low lower to create that dark moody look.

The band were inspired by Loathe and Lotus Eaters style of photography for the coloured images. They asked me to focus the colours around a blue palette, so thats what I did. I used Lightrooms white balance to create a cold blue tone to the photos and experimented with the split toning mode a little when a bit extra blue was needed.

I am immensely proud of the promo images above. I used a speedlight attached to a boom arm to create the lighting, which has just made the photos what they are. If the lighting was straight on the photos wouldn’t have been as good as they are.

The band have the perfect gothic, grunge look to suit the location. The harsh textures in the wall and the grittiness of the background suit the style of the guys perfectly.

Griever are going on tour this October, so I’d suggest you go and check them out if they play near you as they’ve some truly fantastic guys and a brilliant band.

It was a pleasure to be asked back to photograph Wreckage 12. Wreckage events are ongoing DIY punk gigs. They are hosted by the Cavern in Exeter and organised by Hena Larkin, a well known face within the local scene. The Wreckage shows are immensely important to the local and the South West punk scene, without people like Hena putting their blood, sweat and tears into organising such events, the scene wouldn’t exist, let alone thrive.
Fluff, a solo artist, with a raw punk vibe, mixing dynamic guitar tones which complement the brash tone of the electronic drums. The set took my by surprise upon opening, as I’ve never seen electronically tracked drums at a punk show before. It was brilliantly unique and a solid opener for the rest of the night. Check out his music here - https://www.facebook.com/FLUFFTHEBAND/ Also Fluff has recently joined On the House and you can see his profile here - https://onthehousemusic.co.uk/fluff/
It’s always a delight to watch Henas lyrically powerful songs and spoken word pieces. He isn’t afraid of talking about crucial topics which need to be talked about, such as mental health and the political climate. My personal favourite song of his is his rendition of Woody Guthrie’s legendary song “ All You Fascists Bound To Lose”. Henas cover has such power to it, he’s able to make the song his own without losing the message behind it. Give his music a listen here - https://www.facebook.com/henasolomusic/
Dead Frames (Plymouth based) are local punk rock at its finest! They contrasted nicely against Henas set, with fast paced, drum heavy tracks. The band have a natural talent for writing lyrics that a complete newcomer to the band could pick up quickly. Utilizing what they have, their drummer Lee has vocal parts during their set, he differs from front man Jim, as they have a heavier shouty quality, but when unified together, my god it’s good! Check out their music here - https://www.facebook.com/DeadFrames/
Kearney’s Jig are a 4 piece punk band from Bristol. The band describe themselves as “50% Vegetarian 25% Cheese Intolerant 100% Intolerable” for fans of NOFX and ABBA. Kearney’s Jig were remarkably individual from beginning to end, with their varied age range from member to member. This band definitely bought the party to the stage, and were a brilliant main support to the chaos later to follow. Check out their music here - https://www.facebook.com/Woodewooo/
Where do I even begin with trying to put Red Terrors set into words. This band are quintessentially punk performers through and through. From the first track I could see how well the band interacted with not only the crowd but with one another. Bouncing off each other (and the floor) for whole set, they showed such drive. The smaller sized stage proved incapable of housing the band as they couldn’t be contained, there was crowd surfing, walls of death and absolute chaos. Utter carnage are the words I’d use to describe this band, seriously go and check them out at - https://www.facebook.com/RedTerrorUK/