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. Here is ‘P’ through to ‘T’:
Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
P is for: Paul Heaton
A memorable one for me this, it was my first AAA pass and had free reign of the whole arena for the entirety of the show. The thought of me sharing a stage with Paul Heaton is still beyond belief, but it’s something I can put at the top of my tiny, meagre C.V. I have never been so incredibly nervous when photographing a gig.
Queen Zee (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
Q is for: Queen Zee
I was walking past the BBC Introducing Stage at Reading/Leeds when this shocking pink figure caught my eye through the crowd. Heading back to the press tent and not knowing who was on at the time, I took a quick glance at my schedule. ‘Queen Zee, hmm, new one on me’, music sounded great so I walked over to see what I was missing. I finished off the set, which was great, and made a mental note to check them out at a later date, which I did on a number of occasions.
Richard Ashcroft plays the Albert Hall in Manchester (Photo: Gary Mather for Live4ever Media)
R is for: Richard Ashcroft
2016 and my first time shooting Verve frontman Richard Ashcroft. I have since shot him a few times, and every time I am blown away with the passion he puts into his performance. This guy lives and breathes music, and it’s for all to see when he plays live. This show in Manchester was such a moment being on his own front doorstep.
(Gary Mather for Live4ever)
S is for: Stereophonics
Wales had just gotten all the way to the semi-finals of the Euros so the country was on one massive high – there was no better time to watch the Stereophonics on home soil than then. The whole day was one big party. If I am staying to see the end of a show I would usually pack up my gear and find a spot to take it all in, but I saw all the cannons and thought there was going to be some special kind of ending to this one. Privy to the setlist, I knew Dakota was the finale so I found a spot on the terraces and waited, finger poised, to try and capture that split second. It ended up as one of my favourite shots from that whole year; the light, the crowd, the confetti and the fire…it just all lined up (luckily).
Thurston Moore (Gary Mather for Live4ever)
T is for: Thurston Moore
I could so easily have gone for a band whose name started with ‘The’ as I have a gazillion to choose from, but I feel that would be cheating and I need to save my cheat! Sub Pop Records and the grunge movement were a massive part of shaping my youth – Nirvana, Mudhoney, Soundgarden, Babes In Toyland, Dinosaur Jr and Sonic Youth are just a drop in an ocean of bands that shaped the music I love and have come to love since. Photography wasn’t even a thought back then, so the chance of shooting most of these bands has long since passed, but when a opportunity arises you just grab it and that’s just what I did when Thurston Moore performed with The Cribs at Millennium Square in Leeds a few years back.