Sunday Best music at The Eagle Inn
On the lookout for live music to photograph, I was tipped off about the monthly open mic night at The Eagle Inn on Collier Street in Salford. A look at the varied line up of acts slated to perform was all I needed to head down and take a look.
In an intimate stage adjoining the pub, a group of talented musicians was gathering, waiting to hear the running order they were to play in. Travelling light, I had slung my Canon EOS R into my bag with the cheap 16mm RF lens attached. I didn’t bring the flash… I absolutely hate the idea of firing off a powerful flash into the face of musicians playing in a small venue like this. It just seems like an unnecessary distraction. Instead I like to crank the ISO, open the aperture and work with the low light. Something about the noise in the images that come out of that approach always seems to me to capture something the authentic atmosphere of the event, in any case.
In the case of Sunday Best at The Eagle Inn, I found the light particularly challenging. It was extremely dimly lit, with fairy lights backlighting the performers. But… we work with what we have in these situations. I’m fairly happy with the way the photos turned out, considering the run and gun nature of this first foray into shooting here. In hindsight I do wish I’d brought my 24-70 or my 85mm to get a little tighter on some of the performances. But that’s for another time.
Through the course of the evening I got to enjoy perfromances from Rascal Cove, Big Horse Guy, Vulva Voce, Creepy Crawly, Grace Elizabeth Harvey and Alicia & Matt. The lineups were varied. From string arrangements to acoustic solo performances and a good smattering of keyboards, there was plenty to keep my ears engaged. The crowd was friendly and the atmosphere welcoming. For a free open mic night with such excellent musicianship I highly recommend checking out Sunday Best if you are in the area. The event takes place on the last Sunday of every month.
I’m looking to photograph more gigs in and around Manchester, sooo if you want someone to come and document your performance give me a shout :)