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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,...

Bandcamp Friday

Bandcamp Friday... If any online music company comes out of the Covid19 Pandemic with honours, it looks like it will be Bandcamp.  Why?  Well, it's quite simple, it's down to Bandcamp Friday.

What's Bandcamp Friday? Well, on the first Friday of each month, Bandcamp waives its fees on album and merch sales (on both physical media and downloads), meaning more money goes to the artists. This all kicked off in March as the world ground to a halt and with it, the music business. 

OK, the waiving of these fees won't make up for the loss of earnings from not gigging, but y'know, every little bit helps.

Today, being the first Friday of the month, I did some shopping.  I picked up a copy of the Sowing Acorns Limited Edition EP by Emma Langford on cassette. Yes, you read that right, on cassette.  Look, don't ask why, just go with it!

I also picked up a copy of a copy of The Swedish Railway Orchestra LP by, well, The Swedish Railway Orchestra on vinyl.  Yeah yeah, I know, look at him buying vinyl. Look, I like it, I like the fact it's tangible, I like the fact that it's big, I just like it!  Anyway, you couldn't find two artists further apart in their styles if you tried, but hey, it's all good music!

So yeah, that's just a brief note on Bandcamp Friday and why I think it's a pretty cool thing.  I've been using Bandcamp for a good few years now and I've no complaints about the service at all.  You should check them out and maybe support your favourite independent artists through it.



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