Concert Photography - Slowdive & quannnic
Slowdive is a shoegaze band hailing from the Reading borough of Burskshire, England. Formed in 1989 by childhood friends Rachell Goswell and Neil Halstead, Slowdive is largely considered to be one of the greatest and most influential bands of the 1990s.
With the release of their self-titled EP, Slowdive would align themselves with the legendary label Creation Records while quickly becoming integrated in “The Scene That Celebrates Itself” -- a group of shoegazing bands that included famed contemporaries like Chapterhouse, Swervedriver, Ride and Lush. While Slowdive was negatively compared to their contemporaries in the wake of the britpop movement, critical reappraisal during the late 1990s and early 2000s solidified their status as figureheads of the shoegaze genre, with 1993’s Souvlaki being hailed as one of the greatest shoegaze records ever recorded.
On 11.23.2024, I had the opportunity to photograph Slowdive alongside their opener, quannnic -- who has quickly become one of the most prominent acts of the nascent “shoegaze revival” due to the success of their albums Kenopsia and Stepdream.
These images utilize ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) and multiple exposures to explore the layered and dense sound associated with shoegaze; Images experiment with movement, texture and light -- crafting a dreamlike atmosphere in reference to the genre’s artistic vision. Colors retain their vibrancy and saturation, intending to communicate and consider the emotional and sonic overwhelm shoegaze often brings its listeners.
This set of images aim to explore the limit that subjects can be manipulated in-camera, attempting to maintain a semblance of recongnizability beneath the increasing layers of light, color and distortion.