As one of Live4ever’s longest serving photographers, Gary Mather has been a regular in photo-pits for years. With a bit of unexpected time off right now, he’s gone back through those extensive archives and picked out some of the best shots from some of the best gigs we’ve featured on these pages during the past decade. It continues today with ‘F’ through to ‘J’:
Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes at All Points East Festival, London (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
F is for: Frank Carter
Quite possibly the greatest frontman I have ever photographed; energy, passion and intensity in mass abundance on stage whilst witty, intelligent, engaging and so approachable off stage.
Gerard Way (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
G is for: Gerard Way
Every now and then a festival will throw a huge opening act on one of the other stages, and in 2014 on the NME Stage it was Gerard Way. Usually a handful of early risers are found in the other tents, but this time as we headed over from the press tent it was bursting at the seams with My Chemical Romance diehards itching to see their hero’s global solo debut. I would love to think he was staring down my lens on this shot, but I think a lot of luck found him staring fleetingly in my direction as I fired off the shutter.
Hookworms appearing at the 2018 Bluedot Festival (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
H is for: Hookworms
Bluedot Festival has such a diverse and eclectic line-up it’s easily one of my favourite festivals of the year, so much going on for young and old and new music is rampant throughout. It’s not often I have a favourite shot when shooting a festival as it’s almost impossible to pick one with over three days of shooting bands, but this shot of Hookworms stole the entire weekend for me, the expression coupled with the lights was just a winner for me, that’s why it’s my choice for H.
Idles at Leeds Festival (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
I is for: Idles
Three years ago my photographer mate Gary Stafford told me about a band he saw at 2000 Trees earlier in the year and how they blew him away. A few months later I got my chance to shoot said band (along with Gary that introduced them to me) early doors on the Festival Republic stage at Leeds Festival. Stories told about life with such raw passion had me from the get go. Amazing to photograph with boundless vigour and energy, it was just a 30ish minutes I will always remember.
Jarvis Cocker introducing JARV IS… to Bluedot Festival 2019 (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
J is for: Jarvis Cocker
I spent the entirety of my late teens and 20’s watching bands. Heavily into the indie scene with The Wonder Stuff, Ned’s Atomic Dustbin, Carter USM, Mega City Four, Senseless Things always first on any mixtape. It’s because of this passion for the ‘heavier’ indie sound that the likes of Blur, Pulp and The Bluetones escaped my watchful eye. It was never a regret at the time, but after seeing Jarvis Cocker with JARV IS… last year it pains me so much that I never got off my arse to go and see Pulp.
