Sunday 13 December 2015

Status Quo -The Frantic Four - On Board The Lives & Times Fundraising Book


To see how you can buy the Lives & Times fundraising book for Beating Bowel Cancer click here.

In March 2014 I emailed a request to Status Quo's manager Simon Porter requesting to meet and photograph the band. To my astonishment the response was a "yes". This had been the very first request I had sent to anyone famous to be in the book, and how easy was that! Of course the reality was somewhat different with many rejections along the way to completing the book. However every time someone agreed to be in it, the feeling of elation that I got was always the same.

The classic Frantic Four Status Quo line-up of Francis Rossi, Rick Parfitt, Alan Lancaster and John Coghlan was touring for the second year running, and billed as the final tour they would do. In spite of a huge demand from fans that still remains the case 18 months on. The management offered me the experience of photographing the band from the press pit at the Hammersmith Apollo on this tour. It really felt like a once in a lifetime opportunity and I had such a great time. I managed to take about 200 photos during the first three songs that you are allowed in the pit for. I was then ejected from the venue! The full story along with some of the very best photos appears in the charity book I have produced to raise funds for the Beating Bowel Cancer charity, and I am really happy with the results. My mother was diagnosed with bowel cancer in 2012 and as Christmas 2015 approaches she is still battling secondary cancer from the bowel cancer. The book is full of my experiences photographing famous people and all the proceeds raised from sales are donated to the charity. The photo below gives shows just how close to stage I was... 


John Coghlan very kindly sent me a video message of support for the book. Thanks Quo! :)




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