May 31st 2008 – the Xfresh X-gig at Republic, Sunway Pyramid! Yep it was about time we had our own gig.
Rithan of Deja Voodoo Spells warming up.
It was a sunny afternoon. Man, I miss afternoon gigs. Makes for easy exits with public transport.
Outside, there was an extreme sports competition which I don’t remember what exactly. But hey, this photographer is using The Force.
Soundcheck.
Sam CF Band started the show.
Dance To The Radio. Indie meets post-rock. I like!
They like it, too.
Then, the jumpy-frontmanned The Peanuts!
I love how the stage lights were bright and colorful, and the sunlight came in from the side, giving a little boost.
Amazing showmanship!
And that is all from them.
Oh, and this shot (as well as #1, #2, #3, #5 and #6) show the lens I just bought earlier that day – the Carl Zeiss Jena Flektogon 35mm F2.4 in M42 mount. Geeking out post dedicated to that will come soon!
I love the way the Zeiss handles flare! It makes it look almost pleasant to have flare in your pictures, the way it colors it.
And then there were punk rockers Bunkface!
Solid, solid band with Sum Blinkin’ Green influences.
All cameras to the Scout!
He really, really sounded like Billy Joe Armstrong. Looked a bit like him, too!
All shots of Bunkface were taken with the Zeiss. I am now a believer!
I am glad that I can buy auto-focusing Zeiss lenses for my Sony Alpha. It’s different from that classic Minolta look, for sure, but the bokeh on this Flektogon isn’t too shabby compared to some other Zeiss lenses. Also has that characteristic contrasty mid-burning, highlight-popping effect on out-of-focus areas.
And then it was Pop Shuvit, if you can still call them rap metal.
You can count on them to rock out.
Pardon my geeking out, but I love how it renders flare!
The Times, Brit indie at its best.
This is my all-time favorite shot with the Zeiss! There’s just a certain 3D-ness about it.
Click here for a large, large version. Click already, dammit!
And then, ending the show was Deja Voodoo Spells, a top-notch shredder band.
With guest star Adam of Dragon Red on vocals!
Rithan and his guitar licks.
Mie and his bass solo (which included the Doraemon theme song!)
Rithan Facts: Rithan does not bend guitar strings. He bends the guitar.
Rithan Facts: During high-speed solos, hands conjure out of nowhere to help him pick more notes.
Oh, there’s another X-gig coming up:
What: Xfresh X-gig
Where: Zouk Kuala Lumpur, Jalan Ampang
When: Saturday 2nd August 2008, 2pm to 6pm
How Much: FREE ENTRY!
Who: The Aggrobeats, Couple, They Will Kill Us All, Bittersweet (plus an open band session, so bring your stuff!)
Ah ok thanks for the info. I thought you would stand in the crowd and switch lens lol.
I’m thinking of getting the Peleng 8mm as well. Any good recommendations on how/where/price details to get it from?
Oo, nice. Looking forward to the CZJ Flektogon review 🙂
i just noticed that you watermarked your photographs! haha then i scrolled down some more and realized its been going on for awhile :p
anyway, nothing related to this post but i found a picture of you online..playing guitar hero! lol
http://www.flickr.com/photos/thegogroup/2652231652/
So, you switch lenses (the fisheye) during the event, or you have multiple bodies eh?
I have only one A700.
This will sound crazy, but since I had only one M42 adapter at that time, I had to switch between the Peleng 8mm F3.5 M42 circular fisheye and the Zeiss by unscrewing it rapidly.
I got the adapter back from my friend, and now I can swap them the regular way. Which isn’t too hard given practice. 🙂
I do plan my swaps though – whenever I went to the back, I switched to the Zeiss, and since it was less crowded there, I switched to the Peleng before going back to the moshpit front. I’d stick with the Peleng till the next band, then head to the back and change to the Zeiss. Thus, you can shoot a band with each type of lens with some planning.
Also, if you’re familiar with the band, you’ll know where to be and when – I’d want to be in front when a shredder solo is happening. There is more than sufficient time to get great shots. 🙂
kenchill: I’d highly recommend you get it from this guy:
http://forum.lowyat.net/topic/624606
And yes, you can switch in the crowd, just brace your camera and lens in the bag if possible. Then again, I’m not particularly paranoid.
Yee Wei: You bet I am eager to write it too! Just needs a bit more media collection before the blog entry comes.
george: Yes that’s me; oh if you knew the irony of it (which I’ll blog about soon) you’d know why I was playing Guitar Hero. Heh.
And yes, I don’t mind if a performer take pictures of themselves from my blog, but they all seem to forget to credit, or credit in short form which is of no use to me. So full URL here we go!
ahh kudos to daytime gigs! Is Zouk anywhere near Nikko? I might come check it out! Is that the order of the bands playing? 😀
hanna: Argh sorry for late reply but yes Nikko is near-ish to Zouk!