The Japandroids were one of my top bands of the year turned into one of my top shows of the year. It was a Monday night, it was cold and snowy. But yet, the Cabaret du Mile End was packed! It kinda showed that the band had been touring pretty heavy as Brian King’s voice was giving out towards the end. I mean, these guys go allll out in a show so I can see how that can happen.
Photo wise, as the place was packed, the stage is just above knee height, I ventured right in the front for the first few songs. To make a long story short, I had severely bruised knees the next day. The crowd kept ramming onto the stage (you can get the vibe from the side shots I took later where the crowd is almost lying on the stage). While I’m always one to go with the flow, when trying to shoot, I had to brace my knees against the stage for some sort of stability. Good choice for images, bad choices for this guy’s knees. The shots can be somewhat limited as Japandroids consists of 2 people on stage, so finding a mix of individual shots and duo shots is a must, but after a while, you’ve done the rounds.
Stayed until almost the end of the show, loved it. Kept the gear to a minimum with 1 camera body and a 24-70. I know the venue, its not big, so a 70-200 is sometimes overkill. I did bring in my 16-35 last time I was here and it was well used, but this time, no way I would be able to change lenses with such an intense crowd.
I know these guys will be back, in a bigger venue, and I will be there again!
Full show review and image set up on the CornershopStudios site
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