Music photographer Tracy Morter and the incredible RATM campaign

I recently had the privilege of editing an interview with photographer Tracy Morter for f2 Freelance Photographer magazine. She was brought to my attention as a wedding photographer but in fact she first discovered her passion photographing live bands, which perhaps explains how she successfully bypasses all of the cheesey hearts and flowers stuff and captures genuine emotions instead!

If Tracy's name is ringing a bell, it's probably because she is one half of the enterprising duo that started a social media campaign to put Rage Against The Machine's 1992 single Killing In The Name at Christmas number one in 2009. This ingenius act subsequently raised more than £160,000 for homeless charity Shelter (the band donated all proceeds), and effectively stuck the middle finger to X-factor, whose manufacture popstars had dominated the top spot for the past four Christmases.

As a big thank you to their fans, RATM played a free gig at Finsbury Park the next summer. Tickets were a challenge to get hold of (I clearly wasn't the only person who spent all morning at my desk refreshing my browser until RSI set in!), but the gig was well worth the effort and seeing them again the next weekend at Download Festival was the icing on the cake. Tracy tells me she watched them from the side of the stage with Machine Head – a surreal but amazing experience!

Tracy's passion for music is evident in her photos and I was happy to find out she had taken pictures at other gigs I had been at too. I'm thrilled to share a few of them with you here because although I can write about gigs until the cows come home, I rarely take any decent pictures! Photographing in dark venues with constantly changing stage lighting is tricky at the best of times, but when you are armed with nothing better than a camera phone and juggling a beer it is near impossible...

An Evening With Incubus 2011

Tom Morello: The Nightwatchman

I'd like to say a big thank you to Tracy for letting me share her work and if you would like to see more head over to www.tracymorter.com. Oh, and if you are looking for a wedding photographer that will offer something a bit more memorable than your typical nuptial shots then trust me, Tracy's your girl!

All images © Tracy Morter

Incubus at Brixton Academy

Last week I went to see Incubus at Brixton Academy. I’ve seen them play several times over the years, the most recent of which was at the Hammersmith Apollo, and to be honest that particular show wasn’t the best I’ve ever been to. Brandon Boyd displayed a distinct lack of enthusiasm, barely addressing the crowd, and the set list seemed (for want of a better phrase) half-arsed.

For this reason we very nearly didn’t get tickets for last week’s gig, but I’ve seen them play well before and I had faith that they could turn it around. Thankfully they didn’t disappoint me! Somehow they felt like the Incubus of old, combining the energy of the Science and Make Yourself eras with the slickness of Morning View.

And what a set list! There was a nice mixture from their latest album and back catalogue, and Science wasn’t ignored as it has been so many times before. In fact the highlight of my night can be summed up in five little words: A Certain Shade of Green. Other highlights included Privilege and Here in my Room (neither of which have been performed much in recent years) and Drive, which I just don't get sick of hearing.

After all these years I’m still not bored of Incubus. For me their appeal lies in the fact that they still have their own sound – it changes from album to album but remains distinctive, so they never sound ‘of an era’. It's hard to believe that Morning View is 11 years old now, it just doesn't date.

The only predictable thing about Incubus is Boyd’s predilection for removing his clothing during every performance. But you know what? As long as the music comes first, I for one am not going to complain.