After a few months of radio, if not actual, silence, it occurred to me that there hasn't been a Tinnitus Diaries update for a while. So much so that I’ve gathered quite a backlog of shows to get through. Rather than eking them out over time, I used my COVID-enforced downtime over the last week of May to pull together a few photos from each show. So, without further ado, beginning with the most recent and travelling back to February, this collection, with pictures from Franz Ferdinand, Nouvelle Vague, Mogwai, and Dizzee Rascal among many others, should fill in the blanks and clean the slate for what I hope will be a busy summer. Enjoy.
Bonnie “Prince” Billy at Pardon, To Tu, Warsaw.
Though the concert was beautiful, I see now that beginning at the most recent, I'm also starting with the toughest job, and the weakest photos. Will Oldham brought Bonnie "Prince" Billy and band to Warsaw's Pardon, To Tu venue. Packed to the rafters, with no photo pit, and nary a chance of getting anywhere near the stage, I had to make do with peering over a mezzanine and a 90mm lens - not the optimal environment for a Leica rangefinder, but still some decent enough work. Thank you to Magda and Daniel at Pardon, To Tu for getting me a photo pass at the late notice.
Mogwai at The Barrowland Ballroom, Glasgow.
You couldn't pay me to pass up an opportunity to photograph Mogwai over a couple of nights, and certainly not at the best venue in the world, the Glasgow Barrowland Ballroom. Still, this trip cost me. Not only did I bring COVID back home with me, but I've been out of action pretty much since the day I returned from Glasgow. Over my weekend away in Scotland, Warsaw had its annual book fair, two political marches for the presidential election, and then, the election itself - all lost work. Still. Mogwai. The Barrowlands. Tremendous. And tremendous it was. The sound was huge, and the setlists were exceptional. Thanks to Mogwai and tour manager Tom for the passes. Here's to September 11th, when the band will be in Warsaw at Progresja.
Ride at Proxima, Warsaw.
Ride is a band that passed me by the 1st time around, and I discovered their music after the band's 1996 breakup as I hoovered up all things Creation Records. Andy Bell's subsequent soujourns with Hurricane #1 and Oasis left me cold, and I never really got into Mark Gardener's solo stuff. Nevertheless, when the band reformed, I was excited, and the post-reunion albums have been enjoyable, so I was happy to hear they were coming to Proxima in Warsaw. Great show and a surprisingly young crowd. Thanks to Beata at Winiary for the pass.
Michael Gira and Kristof Hahn at Palladium, Warsaw.
Swans is a huge band in Poland, and yet I've not had the pleasure to go along to see them play, nor Michael Gira solo, for that matter. I hope to put that right later in the year when the band come to Poland, but in April, Gira and bandmate Kristof Hahn brought their partnership as a duo to Warsaw's Palladium. An all-seated show was a little challenging, but the 90mm dug me out of a hole. Hahn's effect-laden lap-steel guitar was a joy to behold for this former effects-pedal-toting post-rock guitar player. Thanks again to Beata at Winiary for this one.
Nouvelle Vague at Progresja, Warsaw.
Another welcome surprise this year was discovering that Nouvelle Vague, Marc Collin's bossa-nova-new-wave-cover-band, was still on the go, was touring, and was stopping off at Progresja in Warsaw. It was an odd choice of venue for this band, but a lovely show and an enjoyable trip down memory lane. Thanks to Dawid at SoundEdit for this one.
Dizzee Rascal at Proxima, Warsaw.
The pioneer of British grime and one of the greatest UK rappers of all time. As much as I loved Dizzee Rascal’s music when I was younger, I fell away from his career for quite some time. Oddly enough, my favourite track of his isn't one of his own but is Chase and Status' pounding Heavy, something that didn't hit quite as hard in Warsaw as it did in Iceland back in 2016. Proxima was a great venue for this show, but it might have been a touch louder than it was. Thanks to Mariusz at Fource for this one.
God Is An Astronaut / Jo Quail at Progresja, Warsaw.
Given space in this bumper edition of Tinnitus Diaries, I've opted to keep support bands at bay for most of it, with the notable exception of this next show. God Is An Astronaut was headlining Warsaw's Progresja, and the support for this show, Jo Quail, made for some beautiful photographs. So here, 2-for-1. And thanks again to Beata at Winiary for this one.
Franz Ferdinand at Progresja, Warsaw.
Franz Ferdinand last played in Warsaw in 2022. The music world was beginning to recover after the enforced slowdown of COVID, the band had not long released a brilliant Greatest Hits record, and my fellow (sort-of) Scots stormed the venue with banger after banger. Though this time around it was a very different show, an album tour setlist, the band were polished, tight, slick, and the new songs sat next to the fan favourites comfortably like they belonged together. It was great to have the boys over in Poland. Thanks again to Beata and Winiary.
Valley at Hydrozagadka, Warsaw.
This final show is so far back in the year that I can barely remember it. Valley, an indie band from Toronto, are fronted by Canadian Pole Rob Laska. As such, Rob's Polish family had come along for his show in his ancestral home. The Polish audience loves a member of the diaspora making good and coming back, so Hydrozagadka was jumping. Though much has slipped my mind with everything else going on at the time, I do remember I had fun, so that's something. Thanks again to Beata and Winiary for this one.
And Finally…
I’ll be back next week on the 11th of June with the next issue of Dispatches.
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Atmospheric!
Great shots. I saw Franz Ferdinand this year, loved the show; I’ll have to see if any of the others you mentioned make it my way, in the States. There are a lot of nice, small- to mid-sized venues within an hour of DC, from gritty to polished halls. Thanks for sharing all these!