Ulcerate have just finished a crushing, seven-date tour around New Zealand and Australia with Melbourne’s Altars. Having never seen either bands before, or the local support; Consummation, I was blown away by the talent shown by all three bands, thoroughly enjoying my time shooting this show. Unsurprisingly, Ulcerate were absolutely flawless.  Exhibiting an astounding level of musicianship, the band created an atmosphere that transported the audience out of the venue and into a captivating, visceral soundscape.

Such collective mastery was truly a privilege to witness, with both Altars and Consummation providing complementary, yet diverse performances that greatly helped to build the intimate atmosphere of the night. The Beetle Bar is a favourite of many touring bands that stop through Brisbane, and while it certainly has its charms, it is an absolute nightmare to work in as a music photographer. While I could have just used a flash, I feel that photos taken with environmental light will almost always supercede those taken using artificial light. It also ruins the immersion for those audience members that aren’t there to photograph the band, and a lot of the time promoters/bands will simply ban the use of a flash during a show outright. A lot of the time the blame doesn’t solely lie in the hands of the venue or lighting tech, as many bands like Ulcerate will specifically ask for subdued, red lighting, but as the photos below reflect; shooting in the dark is hard! Thankfully, I have a reasonably large threshold when it comes to picking up dynamic range with my camera body, but this still posed a somewhat of a challenge. Many thanks to Arcane Delve Booking for organising everything and having me there!

Consummation

Altars

Ulcerate

For more from this photographer, visit William France Photography on Flickr or Facebook.