I’ve done a lot of music photography but I was recently extremely proud to be asked to shoot my first ever album cover. I’ve known the North Base guys since they started the project and have seen them rock crowds from Manchester and Leeds all the way to London and Croatia. No matter what time they are playing they always go in hard with the biggest bassy party tunes and always finish their sets with a packed venue crying out for more. Check this mix out…
Dean Silver got in touch about the shoot and we bounced some ideas around. The idea he’d had was something futuristic looking which would translate well with their music. We decided to do it at Salford Quays near the Lowry Theatre as the architecture and lights there suited what we wanted quite well.
We rocked up on a suitably freezing November evening (at least it was dry!) and set about shooting, trying to work fast to avoid frostbite, hypothermia etc. The first shot which we envisioned for the cover was taken on the huge bridge which is lit up in various changing colours. Once we got the lighting (flash into a silver umbrella on a light stand) and pose sorted it was a case of trying the different colours out to see what looked best. In the end I think it was this blue…
Following that shot we went under the bridge like some Red Hot Chili Peppers to scope out a couple of more ‘regular’ press-shots. There we just took a simple shot against the concrete wall which came out great. As can often be the case you end up preferring the results you never intended and that rings true here: The North Base guys picked out the simpler shot as the one they were going to use for the album and used the bridge shot for an accompanying promo mix.
North Base’s self-titled album is out for free download on their Facebook page