Dennis Bovell

One of my favourite films in the last decade is “Lovers Rock” by Steve McQueen.  In that film there is a scene where they are dancing at a party to the song “Silly Games”.  The dance scene is the whole of the song.  It is not only a brave scene to film, but it is so powerful.  And the cornerstone of the scene is the song Silly Games by musician and producer, Lover’s Rock legend, Dennis Bovell.  I met up with Dennis in a park near Tottenham Stadium.  We timed it so we could complete the shoot before the school finishes and hundreds of kids take over the quiet park.  Well - that is almost all kids were at school.  Two kids did come over and insisted on standing between me and Dennis for a while before their mum finally came and got them to move along.  

Dennis - such a chilled guy.  He has been all over the world and played music, he’s helped produce many albums and lastly, he’s been the king of Lover’s Rock!  I bet he’s probably responsible for many hookups as couples find each other on the dance floor dancing to his smooth tunes.  

Such a pleasure to work with Dennis. A man of many tales, but he didn’t brag.  Seemingly just an ordinary guy in Tottenham, however, the success he’s experienced is more than many of us could wish for.

Ledge’!

Shot for Observer Magazine

Flashback

The Flashback series for the Guardian Saturday Magazine continues, and here are four of the latest shoots that have been published. My shoots replicate images of celebrities from their younger days.  

Here we have JLS, Sadie Frost with her mum Mary, AJ and Curtis Pritchard and Vick Hope with her mum Ade

Shot for Guardian Saturday Magazine

Elton John and John Grant

It’s not every day you get an invite to Elton’s fairytale mansion.  Of course, the invite would have been a little more special had it been an invite for lunch, but I’ll settle for an invite to photograph Elton in his place. It is however really unfortunate that we are in Covid times, as the restrictions on where we could shoot meant we were could only shoot outside. I can only imagine how dazzling the inside of his house would be.  

Elton is helping promote the artist John Grant, so the shoot was of the two together.  Not much time and restricted to one setup, but we managed to get a backdrop up, battle the summer breeze and plow through the summer heat.  Admittedly my face mask at the end bore proof of the heat and the rush to get it all done in the allocated time.

It was a shoot with tinted sunglasses, Gucci outfits and Talk-Talk T-shirts, Rolex watch and Doctor Martin boots.  

Elton was friendly and professional.  He knew what was expected of him.  John was genuinely humble, kind and lovely to work with.  Next time I hope to get to shoot them individually.  Not just one frame on a 10X8 analogue camera (which I managed to squeeze in) - but two whole shoots with them individually.  But as I started off saying - with Elton you take what you can get.

Shot for the Observer New Review

Hannah Peel

I met Hannah for the first time, over Skype in the end of the first lockdown in 2020.  Hannah had agreed to take part in my personal project Rear View Window, photographing people in isolation due to Covid, from around the world.  I instantly warmed to Hannah.  She has one of those personanilities that instantly makes you feel welcome, even if she is 500 miles away in the north of Ireland, and not there in front of me in person.  We spoke a little about her great work as a musician and radio host, before I directed her around her house in Belfast.  Her house was like a musician’s dream - filled with sound proof rooms, mixing tables, microphones , piano, harp and other instruments.  The view was of the Irish sea. What’s not to like?!

It was such a surprise to get a message from Hannah a few months later saying that the Observer were going to do a feature on her and she’d asked her PR to suggest me to take the portrait for the feature.  

A week later, Hannah was in London for a 48 hour trip, to record with an orchestra.  One day was set aside for the shoot, but unfortunately London was in total lockdown, and the weather forecast was 100% rain.  Oh!!!  

Hannah and I talked, I suggested a few places where we might find some cover, but that were not very relevant to Hannah or her work.   Hannah eventually suggested that we could get access to a music shop in North London called Audio Gold.  Talk about a perfect venue!  It had the retro recording equipment from the same period that Hannah sampled on her new album Fir Wave.  As Hannah explains:

“The specialist library label KPM, gave me permission to reinterpret the original music of the celebrated 1972 KPM 1000 series: Electrosonic, the music of Delia Derbyshire and the Radiophonic Workshop.”

I turned up to the shop an hour before Hannah.  The place was filled with second hand record players, amplifiers, speakers, vinyls and anything else you can imagine that has to do with music.  It is a treasure trove for all music enthusiasts.  A place where all your dreams come true, and the people who work there have the knowledge and are friendly enough to care.  It was a perfect fit for Hannah.  Not only is Hannah someone who is knowledgable about all instruments and how to combine them with technology, but her passion for all things ‘sound’ fits right in with the ethos of the shop.  (And I managed to buy myself a vinyl of the live album Live at Carnegie Hall - Bill Withers - I love it!)

Hannah seemed like a good friend from the first word we spoke, remotely over Zoom.  We’ve kept in touch since - and although we have only spoken a few times, it feels like I’ve known her for ages.  Some people just make you feel at ease when you speak to them, and Hannah is just one of those people.  Apart from the good news that Hannah has released the album Fir Wave - she is now also back on the air waves with her radio show Night Tracks - a show that gives that nice comforting feeling.    

Shot for Observer New Review  

Anoushka Shankar

Anoushka Shankar is not only the daughter of the world’s best known Sitar player but she is also an incredibly talented Sitar player herself. There was an incredibly calm aura about Anoushka as well as being friendly, fun and kind.  Am I right in saying that the feeling of calm goes hand in hand with the image of Sitar?!  Although I think that’s the case, the complexity of playing an instrument like the Sitar should surely make one wired, and not calm.  The sitar, is hugely personal, often custom made, and has an almost religious aura about it.  I had a blanket for this shoot and had to stand above Anoushka to photograph her.  To be able to be on the blanket where Anoushka was playing the sitar, I had to take shoes off.  Not to preserve the state of my blanket, but because I was on the blanket with the Sitar.  A respectful way to treat such a complex instrument.

This shoot was for the Observer Food Monthly so an element of food needed to be included.   As well as turning lettuce leafs into a pattern that would correspond with the pattern of my blanket, I also made a Sitar out of a Squash and had the lettuce leaves on Anoushka’s shoulders, almost like the base of some angel wings. 

Shot for OFM

Nick Frost

Working with Nick Frost is like meeting up with a friend.  I’m not claiming that we know each other that well or that he’s my best friend, but the way he greets me, my assistant, and anyone else that’s passing by. He is so amicable that you feel like just hanging out. I’ve worked with Nick a few times and he is still the same person he was a decade ago.  The little change I noticed was a sizeable beard and some knock out sovereign rings.  Oh - and the glasses - enough to make any 70’s male sex icon jealous.

Shot for Observer Magazine