Oh boy, I am all over the place. What a weekend. I went to see Skálmold in Bremen last Saturday, which is exciting in itself. But it was also the first time I went in a semi-official capacity for Stormbringer. And because having to write about a concert isn't enough, I also set my mind to taking pictures. Great idea. Did I have any ideas how to take pictures? No. Did I have a camera? Of course not. I was lucky enough to have very supportive people in my cirlce of friends and could actually borrow a professional camera with a good lens. My brother-in-law (the very talented @stefan_sabrautzky) made time for me and provided very useful books on photography and my colleagues at Stormbringer patiently answered each and every single of my questions. I prepared as good as I could and nevertheless my nerves totally walked out on me that night.
I did my homework beforehand and researched the supporting acts Atavistia and Seven Spires, because I hadn't heard any of their music. I was actually very pleased by both bands and was looking forward to hearing them play, especially Atavistia. Imagine my annoyance when I arrived at 19:30 and heard the band already playing. WTF?! I am the most annoyingly on-point-person in the world and I hate being late. Normally, if admission starts at 7 PM, I am there at 6:45 PM. This one bloody time I decided to be fashionably late, the band starts playing earlier?! Admission worked without a hitch at least. My name was on the guest list and I was allowed in with my camera. I bundled my coat into my husbands supporting arms, took out the camera and made my way to the front row. The Tower in Bremen is a small location and it was pretty packed already. There is no photographer's pit, so this in itself was making things harder for me. I am small and I can't take pictures over people's heads. Thankfully, everybody was really nice and let me pass, when they saw the camera. So, I weasled my way to the front and started shooting. Of course everything went to shit. I was so nervous, my hands shook and I couldn't remember a thing I had learned in theory. The fixed focal lens I had wasn't ideal, because the location was so small and the musicians way closer than I'd anticipated. In the end, most of the pictures I took, weren't useable at all. But I learned a lot. In hindsight, I know what I did wrong and I very much hope my nerves will be steadier the next time. My next concert will be Cattle Decapitation in two weeks and I made the very conscious choice NOT to try and take any photos there. Pretty sure there won't be a photographer's pit as well and the crowd will be brutal, I'd probably fear for my life. I'll keep my eyes peeled for something more civilised. If you want to check out my concert review and the photo gallery, here is the link: Livereport
Now, the concert itself. I missed the first Atavistia song, but managed to catch the last three. I was a bit too occupied with my camera to fully concentrate on the music, but what I heard was really good. There is no doubt all four musicians are very skilled and talented and I was actually pretty smitten by Matt Sippola. Apart from his incredibly good looks, he had a very confident stage presence and I liked listenening to his voice, especially the clean vocals. So, really sad I only heard them play for about twenty minutes. I'd definitely catch them again if they ever come back to Hamburg.
There was only a short break and Chris got me a beer to calm my nerves. Seven Spires had the most difficutl light you could imagine for taking pictures and I was so frustrated I packed my camera in after two songs and decided to concentrate on the music. And again - I was pleasantly surprised. I am not the biggest fan of symphonic metal with clean female vocals, but Adrienne Cowan has such a great vocal range. She managed the growls and shrieks as effortlessly as the higher notes and she moved with so much vigour and confidence. A very open and likeable front woman. When Jack Kosto waved at my camera, I was a bit reconciled with my camera duties.
Skálmöld came on stage about half past nine and once again I was reminded that front row without any kind of barrier isn't as cool as I once thought. I stood right in front of Snæbjörn's bass and I could either look down at his bare feet or crane my neck to catch a glimpse of his beard. So, I was actually brave and made my way to the right side of the stage, climbing a step and blocking people's views. Felt totally wrong, but at least this perspective allowed me some decent shots. Afterwards, I moved to the left side of the stage and this is where I stayed for the rest of the concert. For me personally, the perfect location. Next to the bar, a barrier to rest my arms on, free view of the stage, but not right in front of the musicians. When Baldur reached for his beer bottles, he was only an arm's reach away from me and I enjoyed watching him play from up close. I packed my camera in for the last time this evening and now I was free to enjoy the music. And I did. Honestly, watching those guys making music is pure joy. They clearly love what they do so much. Gunnar - barefoot in a skirt behind his keyboards, drinking red wine from a wine glass - sometimes played his keyboards so enthusiastically, the whole keyboard stand rocked from side to side. My favourite band member has always been Jón Geir and I could hardly take my eyes off him. I love watching drummers anytime, but Jón Geir is just the happiest drummer in the world. He was just grinning the whole time and it was contagious. By the time they played Kvaðning and had artificial snow being blown into the audience, I was just really happy. This time, I had learned my lesson. I didn't bolt back to my car right after the concert, but stuck around and I was rewarded with an autograph and a picture with both Björgvin and Jón Geir. Such a great keepsake from this evening. Despite being stressed out for reasons totally self-caused, I had a great night and made memories that will stay with me for a while.
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