In this feature we're asking the creatives behind our favourite music-adjacent releases to share an insight into their world, shining a spotlight on the oft-unsung talent.
The latest release from Birmingham band JAWS isn't a song - it's a behind-the-scenes peek into the group's 2019 Winter Tour, all shot by close friend Peter Lally.
Across 86 pages of midst-of-the-action shots and limited to only 450 copies, Peter captures an intimate look into life on the road with one of the UK's finest dream-pop acts.
Purchase the book here.
Hey Peter! Congrats on the release of the JAWS photo book. How did you first meet the band?
I met Connor through skating as we both do it in South London. I missed the chance to go to their big show in London (months prior to this tour) so my first time meeting the band was actually on this tour.
When it comes to photography, do you prefer shooting film or digital?
I think film just has a better look than digital, it’s hard to replicate the look of film on digital and I really love getting a roll back when you forget what you have shot. Having said this, I shot on both digital and film during the tour. Usually bursting around 1,000 digital photos during an evenings performance and shooting around one roll of film per day on the tour.
When you headed out on tour with JAWS you weren’t planning on creating a book to mark that period in time. Who first came up with the idea?
The idea was mine and I think it came mid-way through the tour. Prior to this, I had shot a skateboard related project earlier in the year and had made a physical book. It had had a terrific reception so I was just excited to focus on producing more works in a physical way. With shooting so much on digital, the majority of those photos would get streamlined down and one or two would get plucked to share on the band's Insta page the next day. Whereas, with the film shots, I wouldn’t see those til after the tour had finished. So when it came to getting them back, I think in total I had shot around 30 rolls, I knew there was something to work with here in chronicling the tour and putting out a physical object documenting our time on the road.
Was there a moment that you wish you’d taken a photo of and didn’t?
I have a fairly poor memory but can attest that there were probably many missed shots. It took me a couple of days to feel comfortable shooting the band naturally so I’m sure there were a couple there. Also, with the live shows, I did often try to cover multiple angles and found it a bit of a stretch navigating through an excited crowd to find the right spot.
What non-JAWS song would you pick as the soundtrack to the tour?
It would have to be “Memory Box” by The Peter Cat Recording Co. as the story behind it goes... we had just finished the Oxford show and were on our way back to have a day off where the boys are from near Brum. It’s around midnight and as we set off, I’m in the passenger seat and given the aux cord (for the first time). So I played this tune. About 5 mins in and before the song finishes, the van broke down. It was a long night, not getting to bed til around 6am, dealing with rescue trucks and service stations. So the blame of this unfortunate incident was blamed on me and my song choice. The van was off the road so they had to hire another one for the rest of the tour resulting in my ban from van DJ. Gutted.
Are there any contemporary photographers you admire or draw inspiration from?
Recently I have admired the works of Pascal Vossen and Cameron Williamson. Those being the last two for whose websites I have bookmarked. I want to shoot some good landscapes so have felt inspired by their works.
Who would be your dream band to shoot?
I have never considered a question like this but I’m going to go with Slipknot. I have been listening to them recently and watching their live shows and they look pretty crazy. I’m not much of a metal fan so it would be a step out my comfort zone, which I think would be more exciting to shoot than what I would usually listen to.
What have you missed most during lockdown?
Being able to get a fry up from the cafe down the bottom of the road.
Purchase the JAWS photo book here.
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