Arcade Fire – 7 July 2010

The incredible ARCADE FIRE at last night’s exclusive gig at Hackney Empire.

We were right down at the front. Loved the new songs, and Win Butler crowdsurfing was fun. Still one of the best live bands around.

COUTURE BOOKS – stunning contemporary photo albums

These are fab new photo albums! Combining modern print quality with traditional binding…simply gorgeous. Very beautiful, very exclusive.

COUTURE BOOKS create luxury, one-of-a-kind, handmade Coffee Table Books…. simply the most beautiful books in the world.

Our COUTURE BOOKS  combine old-world binding techniques coupled with the latest technology in printing to create stunning, one of a kind, heirloom books.

Using the most beautiful fabrics from around the world to design and hand-craft each book, designed exclusively for the most sophisticated customer.

From conception to delivery, each Couture Book piece stands alone on the strengths of its design and artistry and reflects our standard of superlative quality and care.

Treat these as fine art books, as they have a very simple layout, usually just a single image per page, and many times a full bleed image spanning the two pages.  When we design the books, we generally average around 3/4 of an image a page, so with a 150 page book, we would on average have about 113 images.  The end result is much more flattering for your images.

Heads up, new venue – MATARA (Tetbury)

Just found out about this great new venue from two new friends. It looks gorgeous! Thanks to C+B.

www.matara.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YcVxQ8oRFZI

RIP Steve New – musician

R.I.P. STEVE NEW, musician, guitarist, and school friend.

Guitarist with The Rich Kids, Steve “Stella” New died peacefully on 24 May 2010, after his brave battle against cancer. Best known for being part of the legendary Rich Kids (with Glen Matlock, Midge Ure, and Rusty Egan), Steve was a great musician having played with legends such as Iggy Pop.

He was always one of the coolest kids in school… was somehow allowed to bring his cherished acoustic guitar into school in St. John’s Wood, and would walk from lesson to lesson strumming along. Far too young to die, especially as he has two young kids.

Teenage Cancer Trust

Six teenagers will find out they have cancer today, six tomorrow and six the day after. More often than not, these young people get a raw deal, receiving hospital treatment in inappropriate facilities alongside young children or older people. Teenage Cancer Trust fights for the rights of teenagers and young adults with cancer.

The charity helps make life better for these young people by building specialist units which are boosting survival rates.

Want to get involved?

There are loads of things you can do get involved with “Who Cares”… you could throw a Who-themed party, do a parachute jump, climb a mountain, run a marathon, hold an air guitar contest with your friends or just give a one-off gift!

For more ideas and inspiration check out a couple of examples:

http://www.justgiving.com/jonstethridge

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=190357937768&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT
If you’d like to set up your own fundraising page you can through here. Please make sure you write WHO CARES in the title. 
 https://www.teenagecancertrust.org/get-involved/as-a-fundraiser/fundraisers/propose/

Or if you’d like to make a direct donation to TCT, you can do so through here:

http://www.teenagecancertrust.org/get-involved/as-a-fundraiser/fundraisers/who-cares/

 You can contact Teenage Cancer Trust directly for advice and support on + 44 (0) 207 612 0370.

Police will stop and search photographers – Home Office

Police will continue to stop and search photographers using their anti-terrorism powers despite Saturday’s mass protest by amateur and professionals in Trafalgar Square, the Home Office has said today. ‘The situation is essentially unchanged since the European Court ruling on 12 January,’ a Home Office spokesman told Amateur Photographer magazine this morning.

He added: ‘Stop and Search under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 is an important tool in a package of measures in the ongoing fight against terrorism.’

Repeating the government’s policy since it pledged to appeal against the European Court of Human Rights’ recent decision that Section 44 is illegal, he added: ‘Pending the outcome of appeal, the police will continue to have these powers available to them.’ On Saturday 23 January 2010, thousands of amateur and professional photographers packed Trafalgar Square to demonstrate about widely documented heavy-handed treatment by police officers under anti-terrorism laws. The ‘mass photo gathering’ – arranged by the campaign group ‘I’m a Photographer, Not a Terrorist’ – attracted an estimated 2,000 participants and was hailed a massive success by organisers.  Among amateurs at the event was Andrew White who was stopped while taking photos of Christmas lights by two Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) in Sussex last year. He told us: ‘This [Section 44 police power] is the thin end of the wedge. I hope people will see that this [protest] is not just about a couple of photographers. ‘It is about infringement of civil liberties. There are kids here and people of all ages with all types of camera. There are professional photographers but there are far more amateurs.’ The Trafalgar Square protest made headlines worldwide and was supported by Amateur Photographer and many of the magazine’s readers, some of whom ended up appearing on ITV News. The night before the protest the government had raised the UK’s terror threat level from substantial to ‘severe’

Blue October – PUTP Tour

Since the suicide of his wife Kristin in April 1998, KBHC Founder Reese Butler has been on a personal crusade. His mission the past 11 years has been to offer HOPE and the option to LIVE to those in the deepest emotional pain. While the idea of a suicide hotline is not a new one, the challenge of creating a national network in the USA under a single, easy-to-remember, toll-free telephone was a daunting task.

People in crisis generally don’t have the energy or ability to take on a long search for help. When those looking for support dial 1.800.SUICIDE they are seamlessly connected to a certified crisis center nearest to their calling location. While it’s seemingly a simple concept, behind the scenes there are significant infrastructures working to provide help within 20 to 30 seconds of a call being placed.

Support from across the country helps KBHC achieve its mission to prevent suicide and educate people about depressive disorders.

Rich Kids – Islington Academy, Jan 2010

After 30 years apart, the RICH KIDS reformed for a special one-off show, a benefit for my old school-friend STEVE NEW. Steve (or Stella) is suffering from terminal cancer, so it was great to see some of his old friends on stage, including Carbon Silicon (Mick Jones and Tony James), Gary Kemp, and Midge Ure.

At the after-show party I had a few beers with Mick Jones (The Clash) and reminisced about our old days on the punk scene, and our  eventful trip to the Mont de Marcan festival in 1977 (which I photographed!).  Chatted to Glen Matlock (Sex Pistols) for a while, who had done a great job co-ordinating the event. Steve Stella New opted to stay in the dressing room with his family…it had been an emotional evening.  Our thoughts are with Steve and his family.

Midge Ure - singer with the Rich Kids / Ultravox

Steve Stella New - the Rich Kids

Terry Wogan at Abbey Road Studios – 7 September 09

I photographed the very friendly Sir Terry Wogan this morning, at the Abbey Road studios, just down the road from my home. Wogan is in the studio to record a charity album for BBC Children In Need, as part of his “TOGether” collective.  Also in the studio was Nick Mason from Pink Floyd, and Bill Wyman.

Much to the shock of his listeners, Terry announced at 8am this morning that he is quitting his long-running Radio 2 breakfast show, and handing the reigns to Chris Evans.

Walking with Dinosaurs – Live

Took the munchkins to see the truly incredible WALKING WITH DINOSAURS at Wembley Arena. They sat with their jaw wide open for most of the show, especially when two(!) huge Brachiosaurus wandered into the arena. Being sat in the front row was an experience when the T-Rex came roaring at us!