EXHIBITION: STEALING THE SETLIST

Stealing the Setlist is the debut exhibition of local photographer Will Reichelt, shot from the pits of some of Sydney’s most electric live shows. Hosted at MART Gallery, a space dedicated to music-themed artistic endeavours, and part of an FBi Fundraiser, this is one exhibition that will twang all your right chords; heart, mind and eyes. Reichelt tells us more.

What do you think is so appealing about live show photography?

For me, it’s having a love of the music, stage lighting and antics of live performance combined with the challenge of actually capturing it. There are lots of photographic restrictions and potential pitfalls – the ‘three songs no flash’ rule for accredited shows, not being in the right spot at the right time with the right lens, not having enough light, having too much light, the unpredictability of performers – and it requires anticipation and planning to position yourself well. The countless crappy shots I’ve taken at shows were all worth it for those rare but amazing moments when I’ve managed to get a shot that I’m actually proud of. The strong emotional attachments we have to songs, albums and bands play a part in defining our identity, so of course we’re naturally interested if there’s a visual extension of that – music videos, artist portraits, album artwork, posters, live show photography. That’s not to say that it’s not possible to appreciate a good photograph regardless of the subject matter – there are some gig photographers I follow who have an amazing talent for creating an engaging image that it doesn’t matter who or what they’re photographing.

You’ve photographed some of Austraila’s biggest bands – Cut Copy, Tame Impala, PVT, Faker and the Presets – do you think there’s something unique about Australian gigs?

I don’t think that there’s anything in the music, performance style, or visual flair that Australian bands display that’s necessarily different compared to international bands. It’s also not really about the size of the venue, either – I’ve seen PVT, The Presets and Decoder Ring perform in venues as large as Acer Arena and as small as Spectrum (i.e. the size of a lounge room), and been equally thrilled. We’ve got an incredibly creative, vibrant music community here that can compete with anywhere in the world, and the reason I’ve chosen images from only Australian bands for this show is really just to celebrate that.

How did you select the photos for the exhibition? Do you have a favourite?

I started off with the idea that it should just be Australian bands. As I combed through my library and started shortlisting photos for inclusion I realised that I was gravitating towards shots that featured a single performer rather than a band, and that I was also eliminating photos that involved the audience, or established a specific location – I think the photo of Julian Hamilton from The Presets is one of the few shots where you can see the back wall of the stage, and surrounding instruments. I’m not sure why, I think I just prefer simple, pure-form composition. I was also trying to include any special ‘moments’  – Nick Littlemore from PNAU lying prostrate on the catwalk getting molested by fans was one of my first inclusions with this in mind. The other consideration was avoiding the usual cliched gig photography shots, as I don’t think anyone’s really that interested in seeing yet another shot of a 3/4-framed musician standing at a mic holding a guitar. It’s quite hard to pick a favourite out of the bunch, but I really like the one of Daisy Tulley from Bridezilla – I love the light, and the way she looks so lost in what she’s playing.

I like that you’ve stepped out of the pit. How are they still ‘music’ images?

The photos that aren’t live performance shots are still ‘fly-on-the-wall’ shots I’ve taken with musicians in other settings – Matt Blackman recording in the studio, or Thomas Diakomichalis on set for the City of Satellites music video for example. I would say that those images are just as honest as the stage performances, given that they’re still essentially in-character. The photo of Al Grigg from the Red Riders is the one image in the show that was a specifically-designed portrait, and I guess that being able to communicate with him & direct him gives the photo some authenticity as far as what I’m trying to convey. I think they’re all still music images purely through the subject matter.

All proceeds go to FBI, yes?

Yes, all profits from the sale of the prints, postcards and catalogues I’ll be hawking will go to support FBi 94.5FM. It’s a not-for-profit community radio station that plays an important part in Sydney’s culture, and they rely on subscribers and donations in order to keep running. I felt like giving something back, as they’ve switched me on to lots of good music, and they’re also one of Sydney’s culture hubs with a very supportive community surrounding them.

Jul 22-29, MART Gallery, 156 Commonwealth St, Surry Hills, willreichelt.com