Facts: Semi Precious Weapons will melt your face, steal your girlfriend, and have you contemplating knee-high stilettos for the first time. And that’s just by the end of the first song.
Newly signed to NYC’s Razor & Tie, the Brooklyn four-piece returned to St. Louis after four long months, ready to pick up where the left off: winning hearts and minds with the kind of rock that doesn’t wash out.
Justin “Precious” Tranter, dressed in candy-apple knee-high stiletto boots, black tights, and a ruffled red top, lorded over the crowd with equal amounts of indignation and adoration for the crowd.
“This is rock ‘n roll, people. There are rules!” chided the frontman in a pause between songs. Addressing the uninitiated, and reminding the faithful, Tranter spelled out the evening’s agenda:
“One: There is no sitting in rock ‘n roll. Two: Someone has to have intercourse while we play. Three: You have to bleed. So stand up, get fucking, and start bleeding!”
Satisfied that his subjects has been properly educated, Tranter turned his attention back to his his team of garage-glam superstars.
On the frontman’s right, axeman Aaron Lee Tasjan brought waves of white-hot guitarlove. Tasjan took obvous relish in making the girls scream in his frequent trips to the front of the stage, shredding and showing off his guitar-face in equal measure.
On the other side of the stage, Cole Whittle didn’t seem to play his bass so much as he performed an exorcism on the instrument. Pummeling the low register, the boy raised by wolves stomped over the stage in spasms, all the while performing spin-kicks that would have made Chun-Li proud.
Meanwhile, at the back of the stage, Dan Crean held the frayed leash to the whirling chaos in front of him as he laid a searing beat, simultaneously foil and accomplice to the antics of his bandmates.
By the end of the night, Semi Precious Weapons had once again proved that rock ‘n roll isn’t dead; it just was a little late making itself fabulous for the party. Ladies and gentleman, your new glam rock saviors have arrived.
And for old-time’s sake, here’s a shot from the last show at Cicero’s:
View the full set of images at the end of this post.
Photographer’s Notes:
Having photographed Semi Precious Weapons before, I knew that this would be a challenging show, but I’d forgotten just how explosive the four-piece was on stage.
When I photographed SPW four months ago, they played in a small basement with a low stage and fairly static lighting. Graduating to the Pageant put the band on a much larger stage two-meters above the venue floor. Needless to say, this changed the shooting dynamics considerably, though the basics remained: watch for the changes, and try to keep up.
I shot from the front of the stage, packed in with the rest of the crowd. I had an all-access pass for this show and did make a short trip onstage to photograph Dan Crean up close and personal, but mainly stayed on the floor.
Venue Lighting:
The stage lighting for this show certainly had its moments of sparkle and I was happy that the Pageant gave Semi Precious Weapons a little love.
High-contrast white light lit the band from above in the front, while the treatment from the back was largely atmospheric with reds, blues, and magentas dominating. Overall, effects from behind were thin, though there was some very nice searing white explosions at the back during the end of the set.
Flash Setup:
While the Pageant introduced the opportunity for much more dynamic lighting than was possible with their last performance, I still utilized an off-camera flash for a large portion of the set.
Flash is an asset I almost never use, but I knew the constant motion of the band would require stopping power that even ISO 25,600 alone would afford. While I often prefer to use just the venue lighting, flash is simply another tool at one’s disposal for bringing home the images.
I used the Nikon SB-800 with the Gary Fong Lightsphere attached, which helped diffuse the flash to a minor degree. This setup was used off-camera with the Nikon SC-28 sync cord, the coiled cable with a reach of nearly three meters at full extension.
The approach was simply to get the speedlight as far away from the lens as possible. The goal? To gain independence from the venue lighting while still including it as much as possible in the images.
Exposure & Metering:
I shot around 1/200 and f/2.8 at ISO 1600, pushing up to ISO 3200 or so around the end of the night
Lenses & Equipment:
I shot with Nikon D3 and used two lenses for the majority of the show: the Nikon 24-70mm and the Nikon 14-24mm. Between these two, the wider focal lengths saw the most action. Even with the nearly two-meter high stage, I was constantly racking out as these guys came to the edge.
I also used the Nikon 85mm f/1.4 for just a few shots of Dan on drums.
End Notes:
Do you like music? Do you like rock music? If the answers are yes, then you must see this band. It’s as simple as that.
For the photographers out there, it bears repeating: this band is pure candy, like a Babyruth covered in frosting and sprinkles. Or, to put it another way: photographing this band is like fishing with dynamite.
You’re not going to get a better shot at getting up close and personal with better looking people go who up to eleven from the opening bars until the last. Check out the band’s YouTube channel for the real deal.
Mothers: lock up your daughters, your sons, and yourselves. Rock ‘n Roll never looked so beautiful.
This entry was posted on Thursday, April 17th, 2008 at 1:13 am and is filed under Music Photography and tagged with 2008, aaron lee trasjan, Add new tag, april, bp fallon, brooklyn, cole whittle, dan crean, garage, glam, glam rock, guitar hero, justin tranter, Music Photography, nyc, pageant, photography, precious, rock 'n roll, semi precious weapons, spw, spw guitar hero, tour. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Yes!!!
Steal your girlfriend! Where is my photo?!
It’s coming, Flash Girl.
Todd,
Stunning set of photographs. The drama, colours you managed to capture looks incredible as always. The flash use did give an edge to the shots and it hasn’t spoiled none of the actual lighting of the place. They look amazing! Rock ‘n’ Roll never looked so beautiful…just hoping they come back to england quick now.
Hey Solange, thanks. I really prefer to use the available light, but I didn’t see any way around some of it to get the shots I wanted. I’d love to get more opportunities to use flash, too.
I hope these guys make it back to London soon. I’m already looking forward to seeing them again.
Thanks for the feedback!
Flash girl, HA!
Todd, to quote you, I stopped counting after a while for the number of shots I like.
Even if the exposure is a little wonky on manual, the off camera flash really paid off here.
The photo of you and Justin is great.
Hey Chris, thanks for the feedback on this set. As I mentioned to you on the phone, shooting with TTL-BL or TTL could have possibly been a better choice, but tweaking manual on the fly worked out OK.
The off-camera flash was definitely necessary to capture the stage antics that otherwise would have been left in the dark, quite literally.
Justin is the real JT bringing sexy back.
Holy Moly Todd. These photos are amazing. You are an inspiration.
Thanks very much, Mary. I’m glad to hear you enjoyed these images and I appreciate the feedback!
I hope these guys come to your city soon, and if they do, do not miss them!
hey todd! these are excellent!
did you just handhold the flash?
Thanks, Kenny. I had a lovely and enthusiastic assistant to help me with this. She held the flash for a good portion of the set.
I did hold the flash for some shots, but I was more apt to just set the flash on the stage than shoot double-fisting it.
Wow, Todd. I love them all. You captured them so well! I’m really impressed with your flash skills too – flawless
And the picture of you with Justin is classic :)
I can’t wait for them to come back around to Chicago. I want to shoot them again already!
Hey Tasha, thanks! I don’t get to use flash very often, but it’s a tool I’d like to master. While it’s not allowed for many shows I shoot, I think flash can be a really powerful addition to one’s kit.
Justin was made for the lens. All of them are. It almost like having a band of all Andrew Volpes.
I’m hoping SPW will be playing a few shows within roadtrip distance this summer, if not in St. Louis.
Nice set, Todd.
The proportion of flash you used there is interesting. It is indeed a bit different from the way I use flash, because for me it is mostly acting as a mainlight when I need to put it out. But as you say, if you get it off camera in any way, flash can be an appealing factor in a picture, although I would have maybe left the Sphere in my bag and just used the bare flash head for some harsher off camera shadows.
And this pic of you and the fronter *laughs*, I can nearly read by his facial expression: “We both will end up in a dirty hotel room tonight, my friend”
Hey Andi, thanks as always for the feedback, and for your thoughts. I was really looking to try and soften the flash as much as possible; even with the Lightsphere modifier, it was still pretty intense.
The lighting effects behind the band were a bit thin, so the flash did take on a more dominant effect. If I were shooting this show again tomorrow, I’d play around with longer exposures to help fill out the atmospherics. Next time maybe I will try it with just the bare speedlight, too.
Ha, Justin is a rockstar. He was made for the lens, on stage and off.
Not counting the lead image in numeric sequence, #1, #6, #9 and #12 are incredible! Trannylicious and ferosh. Hahaha.
Hey Gabi. Ha! Justin is ferosh. Look at what Page Six just put out about these guys:
Bring Her Back
Thanks for your picks, you chose some of my favorites, too. You should go to the Studio B show and photograph them with your new camera and 17-50.
Mh, I think to soften the light isn’t really necessary. I mean, just look at the normal concert light: Is it soft ? No, absolutely not. As long as you get your little flash head out of the camera axis, it will be great. And, without the 360° effect, you can also direct the light much easier, to create harsh shadows where you want them to be.
And just compare the size of the bare flash head with the size of the Lightsphere in relation to the distance between you and the artist. There is no real change in the proportion between those two values besides the softening material which will have at least a little impact.
Just my thoughts about the flash, since I have used it so often since the beginning of my concert photography journey ;)
By the way: If you really want to soften it, you could also get a litte Softbox for your flash, lets say 30x40cm or something like that. Since you have an assistant, it would not really be a problem to carry and use it. This would really soften your light an preserve some of the power you loose because of the 360° effect.
And yes, I would also tend to put at least the ISO on or even two stops up, or you could drag the shutter down to 1/100 and make ISO3200. Or even experiment with really low shutter speeds and flash to give the movements blur and more dynamic. Ah, too many options ;D
Hey Andi, good thoughts on the flash. I almost never use flash for gigs – actually, the precious show of this band was the only time I used it in any large capacity – but I understand the possibilities it can provide.
Part of the reason for the diffuser was that the position of the performers was very rapidly changing, so directionality of the lighting was an interesting issue. This was the more shotgun approach. ;-)
Next time I play in a smaller club, I’m going to try to incorporate some more flash into the set. I’m especially interested in longer exposures, as I mentioned. I’ll get back to you with the results.
so where is this nekkid chick I read about hmm?!?!
Don’t believe everything you read, Raquita!
in todays world I would not be shocked by said occurance actually happening which I think says a little to much about my college days…
Ha, even if it did happen, I don’t know if I would put the images up. This is a family blog, after all.
Ahhhh, I would’ve gone last night, but I’m a hermit on the weekends. I’ll do anything, go anywhere M-F, but S-S I like to stay home and hang out at the park except for very special occasions, like HOT CHIP. Next time! (…providing it’s a weeknight.)
Next time, Gabi. Go with the 10-20mm and have fun. And on that note, I’m off to Flickr to see if anyone got some good shots from the show…
Wait, last night? The Studio B gig is the April 24 – a Thursday. You’re in luck. I expect greatness. ;-)
Hahaha…got my dates mixed up, did I? I’ll be at Katy Perry’s NYC debut on Thursday night…struggling with no light at the Mercury Lounge.
Fantastic set Todd,
Having shot their first ever european date in a small london pub, I am looking forward for this band to coming back to London.
How big is the pageant (in terms of audience capacity?)?
Thanks, Valerio. As you know, these guys are such fun to photograph, I really enjoyed shooting their set.
I hope they blow up and have a world tour, including some big gigs in London.
The Pageant capacity is anywhere from about 1,800 to 2,300, depending on the type of gig and how it’s set up (i.e., whether there are tables and chairs in the back or if it is standing-room only). For the big rock shows with no seating, they can fit a good number of bodies into the place.
The venue is two levels, with reserved seating in the balcony, which is sometimes closed off if it’s a smaller show.
Best type of venue for shooting.
Indeed they are Todd.
Absolutely a must for any concert photographer.
They signed with razor&tie, their album is not free anymore and is going to be out soon. I am sure a tour is coming and they are going to be big.
I wonder if my CD signed by Justin would be a collector’s item soon.
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The singer looks like Dr. Frank N. Furter from the Rocky Horror Picture Show! :)
Amazing photography! ^_^