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2024-12-02 Me First and the Gimme Gimmes - The Academy, Dublin

Christmas came early this year for me.  Never did I think that  Me First and the Gimme Gimmes  would be playing Dublin, and never did I ever think I'd get to shoot one of their shows! Well, that all changed last week when they played the Academy in Dublin on a cold, damp, Monday night! I've been a fan since 1997, when one of the lads I worked with, brought in a copy of Have a Ball . It was love at first listen! I did manage to catch them live back in 2019 when they played the O2 Forum in Kentish Town , London, and it was every bit as good as I'd hoped, but it paled in comparison to Monday night in Dublin. So, how did it come about?  Well, back in 2013, I interviewed the band for a now defunct Irish website called Chunk.ie .  Over the years, I've stayed on their PR roster, so I took a chance and emailed my contact there.  Lo and behold, a few emails later and all was sorted, I was down to photograph the show. How was it?  Brilliant, amazing, fantastic,...

2019-12-07 Grandmaster Flash - Fairfield Halls Croydon

When you get a chance to see a legend perform, I think it'd be rude not to take it.  That was the case with Grandmaster Flash!

The guy is an absolute legend of hip-hop, he was in London, I was in London, so why the hell not!

The gig itself wasn't great.  That wasn't his fault, he was fantastic on the decks, it was just the atmosphere there, it felt like a bad staff party... Too many people intent on getting hammered and the actual hall it was in was just too clinical, no charm, no style, just a big, empty room with a small stage at the far end.

Anyway, it was great to see Grandmaster Flash perform, I don't get many chances to see someone of his standing do their thing, I just wish it had been in some hot, sweaty, intimate venue in Dublin.

Check out the photos and video below:






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