Review of the Year – Music Photography

Well another year has gone by so it’s time for the traditional look back over the past year. It’s certainly been a great year with loads to photograph and some interesting projects which will stretch well into the new year.

Music photography has always been a huge part of what we do. Both Tina and I share a passion for music be it local unsigned bands or well known artists. Hence we both love music photography!

Cheshire Music Photography. Ash, PABH, Hadouken at Crewe Live

Left: Hadouken. Middle: Ash. Right: Pulled Apart By Horses.

This year we have been particularly busy. We’ve been the official photographers for Crewe Live in all but the inaugural year. 2012 saw the festival headlined by Ash, Hadouken and Pulled Apart By Horses, marking their return to The Box. As well as putting on amazing shows, all the bands took the time for a promo shoot. Great additions to the portfolio! Between us we managed to cover every single venue and photographed as many bands as possible!

Music Photography in Nantwich Cheshire

Main Picture: Dame Cleo Laine. Top Left: The Beat. Bottom Left: Wilko Johnson. Top Right: Scott Matthews. Bottom Right: Tony Christie.

We were also the official photographers for the 16th Nantwich Jazz & Blues Festival. Some wonderful acts headed to Cheshire and the highlights include Tony Christie, Dame Cleo Laine, The Beat, Scott Matthews and Spikedriver. It was great to get around all the varied venues and enjoy such a diversity of acts. You can check out some of our photos in our slideshow on Youtube or on the official Jazz Festival website.

One of the biggest (and wettest) gigs that we photographed was Live from Jodrell Bank, Transmission 002. The show was headlined by Elbow. Despite the wet weather it was a fantastic gig and even better was getting the opportunity to chat to Guy Garvey backstage before the show! sadly the wet weather meant that the Paul Weller show scheduled for the following day had to be cancelled.

We also photographed The Australian Pink Floyd in Manchester and Stoke. The light show was truly spectacular! We also visited Birmingham to photograph The South.

We also headed over to Sheffield City Hall and to Leicester’s De Montford Hall to photograph Thin Lizzy. One of my favourite photographs of the year was taken on stage with Thin Lizzy in Leicester!

A little bit closer to home we have seen many great gigs at The Box in Crewe. Some of the bands who have passed through include: Sham 69, Dodgy, The Twang, Catfish & The Bottlemen, The Fallows and many more. We have been the official photographers to The Box for four years now and look forward to the 5th year!

We have done quite a few promo shoots with various bands and musicians this year. Recently we headed over to Dunham Massey for a Winter shoot with Dayve Dean to provide images and artwork to accompany his new album ‘Winter’. The photo-shoot with Interception involved a Russian aircraft in Sandbach. The Human Condition shoot took on a real urban feel under a railway bridge! The Son Of Shinobi shoot took advantage of a wonderful moody sky. Indoors we did shoots with Sink Or Swim, Sham 69 and Dodgy.

October saw the annual charity event we organise called ‘Boxjam’. It’s all in aid of Oxfam. This years extravaganza took place over 3 stages and saw Sink or Swim, George Borowski and The Slippery Hill Boys headline the respective stages.

Looking forward to a wonderful 2013!

Interception Promo Photography

We recently took a booking from Crewe band Interception. They wanted a set of band images for promotional purposes. They came up with an idea to shoot at a scrapyard in Sandbach which has, of all things, an old Russian aircraft!

Needless to say such an interesting visual landscape led to a great shoot and some really interesting photos!

The images are very akin to the Urban Portrait project. We have managed to photograph several bands now in the Urban Portrait style, and indeed it was this that inspired the shoot with Interception! We’ve done similar shoots with Son Of Shinobi (which appeared on their album artwork) and Human Condition.

The book idea has had a few changes. Initially it had been hoped to produce the book in time for Christmas but it seemed mad to rush it so it’s still under way and will hopefully be available early in 2013. The book will now be bigger in physical size as well as having more portraits inside. The overall product will be much better than the original plan which can only be good!

You can purchase one here: http://www.justgiving.com/Guy-Standring1

The Children’s Adventure Farm Trust charity calendar we worked on is now available and is being snapped up. They are only £6 and it gives us great pride to think that the idea that Simon had to do something worthwhile for the local Cheshire charity has proved to be a huge success. Thanks to the support of individuals and local companies every single penny of profit the calendars make goes straight to the Farm! Nantwich Town FC are very supportive of the calendar and have allowed us to sell the calendars at the Marine game on December 29th. Adam, featured in the calendar, whose mum Lorraine did all the organisation for the calendar, will lead the team out as mascot!

All of our bespoke wedding books arrived in good time from Italy and have been delivered to happy clients! It’s been really good to see the final products and get them to the happy couples in good time for Christmas. All the books were designed by Tina exactly how the customer wanted! We’ve also taken quite a few orders for parent books, which are duplicates of the main wedding books and make ideal Christmas presents!!

And as we get closer and closer to Christmas it’s a good time to let everyone know we offer gift vouchers. If you are interested, just get in touch!!

Sham 69 & Chris Ramsey

Well it’s been a busy week for us here at Simon J. Newbury Photography! I’m pleased to say we are due to receive our bespoke wedding albums from Italy ready in time for Christmas! We also have our event albums on their way. All the books have been lovingly designed by Tina and its a good feeling when they are with the printers in good time to meet the Christmas deadline.

We’ve got the first of our family photo days out of the way. We had a good time at Nantwich Town on Sunday and have loads of lovely photos. Our next family, kids and pets photo day will be held in Crewe at Via Dance Studios on Middlewich Street. It will be on Sunday 9th December and places are still available and can be booked now! You can get prints or canvasses and they will all be guaranteed to arrive in time for Christmas!

Music Promo Photography in Cheshire: Sham 69

Sham 69 Promo image

Meanwhile Simon has been down at the Box for a photoshoot with Sham 69 followed by photographing their show. A great gig once again! Tina is at the Box every Friday photographing all the local bands!

Cheshire Comedian Portrait Photography in Cheshire

Chris Ramsey Portrait

After Sham 69 it was on to the Civic Hall in Nantwich for the Feeling Lucky Tour with Chris Ramsey. Chris was in Nantwich last year and Simon was there to photograph the show and do a portrait shoot. Since then Chris has gone on to star in a host of comedy shows and has starred as the lead in the BBC sitcom Hebburn.

The Urban Portrait project is still underway with a book planned in the new year. you can always check out the latest info about the project at the dedicated website: www.urbanportrait.co.uk 

Urban Portrait Book

Progress is being made in the Urban Portrait Book project. We have had discussions with a local publisher and we are confident we can go to press. We are looking for sponsors to help fund the initial run so any local businesses interested in getting involved are more than welcome!

It’s been a varied and busy time of late. The traditional wedding season has concluded and we had a very lovely visit to Wallasey Town Hall. Our bespoke books have started arriving from Italy and have been delivered to happy clients! We’ve had lots of comments on the wonderful layout created by Tina using her Graphic Design skills to the full!

As well finishing a last few Urban Portraits for the book we have had a few musician promo shoots. Tim Gallagher is finalising his recording and we had a great, if slightly chilly, shoot in Hassall Green beside a canal. Looking forward to hearing the EP and seeing the final artwork which will be designed by Tina! We’ve also been lucky to visit Whitby Morrison in Crewe for a shoot with Shaun & The Special Sauce. Whitby Morrison are the worlds leading manufacturer of ice cream vans. I’m also pleased to say that the company are sponsoring the Urban Portraits book. By bizarre coincidence straight after the shoot with Shaun I headed over to Nantwich Town for some press photos of Ed Whitby and Nantwich Town Chairman Jon Gold as Whitby Morrisson are sponsoring a stand at the Weaver!

I was also commissioned to photograph the recent Labour Party Conference held in Manchester. I produced a set of press photos covering the event and some of the fringe events. The highlight for me was meeting and photographing Eddie Izzard! I also got to photograph Lord Coe and Jonathan Edwards!

I am available for press work and I have recently been undertaking a variety of commissions for Cheshire East Council. I’ve been to Knutsford, Macclesfield, Handforth, Nantwich and Crewe to photograph a variety of events!

I’m also available for private commissions for Urban Portraits. If you would like to be photographed, please get in touch. I now have a site dedicated to the project: http://www.urbanportrait.co.uk

I am also organising a day of family/ kids/ pets photos in Nantwich. It will be a special event where you can come along and have a set of photos, then order online with delivery guaranteed by Christmas. More info to follow soon!!

Gridiron UK

I’m sure most of you have seen all the buzz over the last month regarding the film that has been made right here in Crewe. It is based on the true story of the Crewe Railroaders which was set up in 1984 by Gary Delaney. Well, since then Gary has gone on to set up a film making company, written a script and has directed the film.

I was employed on the film as the official stills photographer. This has involved being on set to get the stills photos for publicity and also some behind-the-scenes photographs!

Michael Dixon, Actor

Michael Dixon, Actor

The film boasts some great actors and has been shot entirely in Crewe. Michael Dixon, Stephen Marcus, Right Said Fred and Rebecca Pitkin are just some of the people in the film. I managed to get in front the camera for a cameo as well!

Rebecca Pitkin, Actress

Rebecca Pitkin, Actress

The cinema release is scheduled for November and the DVD release should be in February next year.

During the filming we still managed to find time for 6 weddings, my Urban Portrait exhibition and the Prom Night for Sandbach High!

Nantwich Town Football Club Squad Photo 2012 - 2013

Darren Fletcher, Manchester United FC

The football season is back as well and we have been to some great games already at The Weaver Stadium. Nantwich Town are looking very strong this year. We have done all the player portraits for the club website as well as the full squad photo and a new manager portrait of Jimmy Quinn. Stoke City are also playing some of their home Barclays U21 Premier League at the Weaver. Manchester United were the first visitors and fielded a team that boasted Scotland international Darren Fletcher who played the full 90 minutes.

Darren Fletcher, Manchester United Player

Darren Fletcher, Manchester United Player

Music Photography: Live From Jodrell Bank

Last year I was fortunate to photograph The Flaming Lips and British Sea Power at Transmission 001 at Live From Jodrell Bank. This year saw the festival grow to a 2 day affair with headline acts Elbow and Paul Weller. Sadly the weather ended hopes of the Weller gig taking place.

Guy Garvey, Frontman of Elbow. In front of the Lovell Telescope.

Guy Garvey, Frontman of Elbow. In front of the Lovell Telescope.

I was at the Elbow gig though armed with the camera on official business! A great line up saw Transmission 002 take off where last years event finished! I arranged a portrait shoot with Guy Garvey of Elbow in front of the dish which was a nice little shoot. I’ve got to say of all the backdrops I’ve used in my time the Lovell Radio Telescope is one of the most special!

Elbow performing live at Jodrell Bank

Elbow performing live at Jodrell Bank

The live music itself was really good and not at all ruined by the deluge of rain. It’s a shame that that rain ended any hopes of me photographing the Gomez, Graham Coxon and Paul Weller show the following day! Still, I got a nice set of images which I have shared on the Facebook Page.

Wedding season is truly upon us and I have 5 special days to document next month. I have a few weddings in North Wales as well as one in Crewe, and one at Old Hall in Madely, South Cheshire. I hope the weather is better than for the Elbow gigs as two of the weddings are outside!

As the new season approaches for Nantwich Town I have lots of work ahead getting the new player portraits and the new squad photo. I was at the Weaver Stadium this afternoon to photograph the new kit. A change of sponsorship and a new away strip will be launched very soon by the club. It’s exciting times at the club as manager Jimmy Quinn has assembled a strong squad for the coming season. A lot of new faces bring hope for a successful season. I’ll be at most of the matches providing action shots for the club and local press in my role as official club photographer!

Eventbrite - Urban Portraits by Simon J. Newbury. The Exhibition.

My Urban Portrait Exhibition is really taking shape now, having photographed nearly 30 portraits. It’s been fantastic to have so many people volunteer to be a part of it. The majority of the photographs were taken around Crewe and the exhibition itself will be held at Bar 7 on Nantwich Road on Sunday July 22. As well as the photographic exhibition there will be some wonderful acoustic music to enjoy, all for free! I’m still shooting portraits for the project and hope to have a body of around 50 images by the time the exhibition comes about. I hope you can join me there!

Urban Portrait Exhibition

My urban portrait project is really taking shape! I’ve photographed 20 models in an urban setting mainly around the Crewe area so far. I’ve been overwhelmed by the amount of volunteers wanting to be a part of the project.

I am pleased that I have managed to organise an exhibition event which will be held at Bar 7, on Nantwich Road. The exhibition will involve a digital display of the images which are still being photographed right up to the event! I’ll be doing a talk about the project as well as a Q&A session. There will also be some great live acoustic music from Nick Bayes (the face of the project so far), Lee Garner, Al Dean & Tom Seals, Phil Maddocks and Sink Or Swim. It’s a free event and all are welcome!

Urban Portraits Exhibition Poster: Nick Bayes

Urban Portraits Exhibition Poster

As well as the urban portrait project I have been photographing loads of bands lately. I am running a special offer on band promo photography leading up to Crewe Live 2012 for which we are the official photographers.

Son Of Shinobi Promo Shoot

Son Of Shinobi Promo Shoot

I am also proud to announce that we have been chosen as the official Mayoral photographer for the new Civic Year. Congratulations to Cllr Peggy Martin and good luck for the new civic year! I attended the Mayor Making Ceremony at the Municipal Buildings in Crewe and I will be photographing the official Mayoral portrait this coming week.

The Worshipful The Mayor of Crewe Councillor Peggy Martin & The Worshipful The Deputy Mayor of Crewe Councillor Irene Faseyi

The Worshipful The Mayor of Crewe Councillor Peggy Martin & The Worshipful The Deputy Mayor of Crewe Councillor Irene Faseyi

I’m also looking forward to photographing the Olympic Torch as it passes through Crewe on Thursday.

To register for the exhibition please visit:

Eventbrite - Urban Portraits by Simon J. Newbury. The Exhibition.

Crewe Live & Band Promo Special Offer

Summer is approaching and as well as a busy wedding season we have the annual Crewe Live Festival to photograph. We have been chosen as the official photographer for the event for the third year running! This year is shaping up to be an amazing event.

Headliners include Ash, Pulled Apart By Horses and Hadouken! The event will be staged across 10 venues and the town centre and will involve over 100 bands.

To celebrate our third year as official photographer we are running a special offer on band and musician photo sessions. All the details can be found on our site: http://simonjnewburyphotography.co.uk/musicoffer/

We have been busy with shoots this week with Son Of Shinobi, Sink or Swim and Thick As Thieves all having shoots as part of the special offer!


I’ve also started a personal project on Urban Portraits. I am going to photograph a series of people in an urban setting and maybe consider an exhibition at the end. It is proving to be a popular project as I have had over 30 volunteers already!

Meanwhile I have been busy undertaking lots of commercial commissions. I will be photographing some building exteriors for a construction company over the weekend as well as finishing up the hotel interior photographs for Firenze and The Cheshire Cat in Nantwich.