So... I'm playing at PlayFest (a new music festival in the UK) with Axel this weekend.
Axel's set is on the Sunday, but on Saturday, I got the chance to watch this guy - one of my all-time musical heroes, Franz Nicolay.
I first came across Franz as the keyboard player in one of my favourite bands, The Hold Steady (remember?
http://365project.org/manek43509/365/2011-02-15) and I idolised his keyboard playing style, and his contributions to their music.
But Franz isn't just an amazing keyboard player - he's a multi-instrumentalist, singer/songwriter, session player and solo artist, all rolled into one! He's currently touring the UK, supporting Frank Turner, and PlayFest is one of the dates on their tour. Of course, I was very excited to see one of my heroes in action, and I was determined to get some good shots of his solo set.
During the set, Franz played guitar, accordion, and banjo (shown here!) and sang. It was amazing! I used my PlayFest Artist pass to get some great close-up shots with the Nikon, instead of just relying on my iPhone, like I usually do at gigs, and I think this one came out pretty well.
After the set, I got the chance to meet Franz, and talk for a bit, which was fantastic - I also got to meet Ben Marwood (the other supporting artist on the Frank Turner tour) and I ended up watching Frank's main stage set from on the stage, standing just behind him. (You can read all about that here -
http://dailybooth.com/manek43509/16186000)
Many apologies for the lengthy caption!
Yes - and it really was a GREAT performance!
@kerristephens
Thanks! I was lucky to be able to shoot from the side of the stage, so that spot was directly behind him - which is why his suit seems to be glowing. ;)