Tom Leishman Interview!

Born and raised in Cannock, Stafford and now working out of London, Tom Leishman is an exceptionally talented young photographer who is now receiving the attention and work load he deserves. Having worked hard for years, mostly with in the music scene, making up and coming bands look cool, hes now finding his time being spent working with massive acts like The Saturdays and Mcfly. We caught up with Tom to see whats been happening and find out what 2010 has in store for him.

TFS - Hi Tom, thanks for doing this. Tell us a bit about your self and how you got into photography and what inspired you to first pick up a camera

TL - Hey! I’m Tom Leishman; I’m a 23-year-old photographer! I started photography when I was 19 I’ve been doing this for about 4 years now. I never did enjoy school I felt I’d never be able to achieve anything with myself once we’d finished, I had bad experiences at school... I never had the stomach for the educational system... So when I left school feeling lost in a dead end job with a huge chip on my shoulder at 19 I only had music and art that I felt any passion for... So it just naturally happen when my cousins where in a popular local rock band and I had just bought a new camera from a police auction website! Haha but I never imagined It would have taken me on this journey!

TFS - you’ve done a lot of work with in the music scene, working with different bands and artists, tell us about your first photo shoot

TL - My first ever photo shoot was with my cousins pop-punk band "NeverSayDie" I only had a camera and a tripod! I believe my weapon of choice was a Canon 350D. It was at a fancy dress party and the guys where all dressed as zombies, we did it in a graveyard, oh dear oh dear! My first shoot with my own lighting equipment was with a Alternative/Metal band from Essex called "Last Nights Recital" I told them I’d just got the lighting so they had to be patient with me... I think the shoot went on for hours! Haha. Nightmare we got there eventually in the end!

TFS - who’s been you favourite band/artist to work with

TL - Any band that isn’t afraid to challenge me like Random Conflict or Heights! Random Conflict let me bury them alive in my back garden! Haha... Heights let me drown them in the middle of winter in a swimming pool! I do love a challenge but I love accomplishing them more!

TFS - do you have any favourite photographers who you take influence from or tried to learn from?

TL - I draw influences from many photographers just to name a few of them Chris Strong, David Lachapelle, Dave Hill, Joey Lawrence, Jill Greenburg and Tim Walker... I spent a lot of time studying and trying to understand their lighting and techniques, these photographers are always inspiring me to push myself, but I think that my biggest influences don’t just come from photography they come from every day-to-day things such as the smallest sounds you hear to the feelings you get when listing to your favourite songs.

TFS - have you got any exciting projects coming up this year?

TL - Yes! I have more work coming up with The Saturdays and Mcfly, which I’m really excited about! It’s only early days of 2010 and it’s already looking bright! I love taking photos of the girls they’re so pretty its hard not to get a good photo of them! Plus they’re really easy to get along with! But who knows what this year holds for me, only more good news I hope!!

TFS - you’ve managed to build up a really excellent portfolio of clinets, like The Saturdays, New Found Glory and Enter Shikari. How did you go about building your name and reputation?

TL - Thank you! Back in the day when Myspace was an addiction rather than just a social networking website, promoting yourself on that was a really useful tool if you knew how to. I used that to network with bands, promoters, models and photo-lovers all around the world (This is how I met Dave from INK). It doesn’t cost that much money for business cards or postcards... So at every rock show I went to I used to whore myself out to the crowd, letting everyone know what I was about, because if you don’t tell everyone no ones going to do it for you!

TFS - have you any advice for any new photographers who are looking to build up their reputation?

TL - Just network, talk to as many people as possible, make friends with people from all walks of life and always give out a business card! If you want it bad enough and you’re serious about what you want to do, anything is possible. Keep positive and photograph everything! Learn from your mistakes and remember what worked! Assisting is a good way to pick up things and learn, I’m always looking for assistants on jobs as are many other photographers; So get in touch.

TFS - finally what music are you listening to right now and what acts do you think we should watch out for in 2010?

TL - I’m a music obsessive so this is an amazing question for me! I love all sorts of music genres! But I’d keep my eyes and ears open for Alain Clark, this guy from the Netherlands who’s bringing back soul the way its meant to sound! Bad Rabbits who are doing this Gym Class Heroes meets Prince thing, its awesome! Sharks from the UK they’re doing this Clash meets The Gallows mix up which is just incredible, really nice guys to! The Heyday, Parachute and Brighten are all amazing pop rock bands, if you’ve not heard these then you’re missing out! Finally this man Sam Little... Believe me... Little might be his second name, but his voice is BIG! Thanks for talking to me TFS!

Camera Club

So Camera Club are another of those bands that have seemingly popped up from nowhere and are instantly making big stirrings in the industry. Fan favourites in Liverpool, Camera Club put on an amazing live show and team their live energy with catchy hooks and brilliant musicianship which is of course the perfect combination! Currently, Camera Club (formerly My Auntie Sam) are gigging like crazy all over the place and with a debut EP being released in a very short space of time, they're definately someone to keep a watch for! We recently caught up with camera club...

ok guys, so lets start with the name; "camera club". It's a pretty different (in a good way) name; any meaning etc. behind it?
- haha yeh, a good friends father of ours goes to a "Camera Club" and we imagined it to be this really weird meeting hosted in a different members house each week and they would all eat biscuits and drink tea and share pictures... we basically just had a brilliant time laughing about it and thought "Lets call our band that"... it was probably funnier at the time.

For anybody reading who hasn't yet heard/seen you guys, how would you describe your sound and live show?
We aim our sound at straying away from the word "jangly"... its a horrible word we are terrified of being labelled as. Our live shows are as epic and as boystrous as our bodys will let them be.

You guys have some pretty big gigs coming up! Supports with Deaf School and Twin Atlantic, how does it feel to be really getting somewhere on the scene?
Erm... its nice.... its great to know bands like those are happy for you to support them. We are big fans of Twin Atlantic.

Here's a boring question; who would you say your influences are?

The people who dont (and didnt) think we could go far, and our parents.

At the moment the scene seems to be saturated with bands that remain pretty unknown; to what do you attribute your steady rise in popularity?
We try not to be too endulgent in our songwriting and aim to please in our live performances.

If you had the choice to play alongside any other band (alive or dead etc. etc.) who would it be? and why?
tough one... Enter Shikari for the chaos and The Beatles maybe?

Do you guys have any specific goals for the remainder of this year?

Hopefully keep growing, keep writing and meet a few more hilarious characters on the way

And finally, which bands do you think we should look out for over the coming year?
- Sound of Guns and Twin Atlantic (if theyre not already global megastars by then)

Cheers lads!

Be sure to check out camera club at MySpace

Shadows Chasing Ghosts Interview!!!

Its been an amazing journey for Shadows Chasing Ghosts, one that has now taken them to the other side of the world having just kicked of their first tour of Australia. Since forming in 2007 the bands constant tour schedule has seen them share the stage with bands like Finch and Flood of Red. They were recently signed by Small Town Records and released a limited edition single titled 'searchlights', we managed to pin down Danny from SCG and ask him a few questions about the band.

TFS - Hey guys! First of all congratulations on your recent success in getting signed to ’Small Town Records’. Could you tell us how this came around?

Danny - Thanks lads! First of all, we are so happy to be working along side SmallTown, they have had, and have, some brilliant artists. We wanted to get a single out there and wanted to work with a well established label, so our manager approached Pete at ST with the idea and the rest is history!


TFS - Can you tell us how ‘Shadows Chasing Ghosts’ came to be? And did you ever imagine the success you would have?

Danny - A few of us used to play in bands and have grown up together so we have known each other for a while. We liked a similar style of music, and we decided we’d come together as a collective. Thinking about it, I never thought I’d be lucky enough to tour with a band that inspired me to do this – let alone actually be releasing a single.

TFS - The current music scene has not seen many new bands break through at the moment. What do you think is unique about (SCG) that has got you so much recognition over the past year?

Danny - I think its down to us being a hard working band that give our all at every show we play. We want to gain fans whenever we play, whether it be 5 or 50 in one night. They are the people that have got us where we are today.

TFS - You are heading back to the studio in November to record a new mini album for a 2010 release. Tell us a little bit about it and what fans can expect to hear? Any surprises?

Danny - Well we already have three tracks recorded from our last stint at Outhouse, and we’re aiming to keep writing along those lines. So make sure you get a copy of the Searchlights single, and you’ll have an idea of what’s coming next! There might a few surprises in store, we’re got a few ideas!

TFS - It looks like 2009/2010 is going to be a big year for Shadows with shows in India, Austria, Belgium and Australia (Big Exo Day). Do you think your kind of sound/style is now becoming more popular over seas?


Danny - Yeah we have a nice busy year planned, nothing beats being on the road. I think the kind of music we are playing is being appreciated by different types of people over seas now. I mean Belgium is renowned for its hardcore scene, so we weren’t sure how the crowds would react to us. But they really got down with us at the shows and it was such a good time – we always look forward to Belgium.




TFS - You have played alongside bands such as Flood of Red, music giants Finch and soon Reliant K (Big Exo day) how does it feel that you are now producing such a high calibre of songs that you are getting these chances? Are there any bands out there that you would be stoked to play alongside and would make you think ‘yeah we‘re going somewhere‘?

Danny - It’s awesome to be given the opportunity to play with bands that we have listened to for years. It makes us feel proud that we are making music good enough that people consider it worthy to go alongside these bands.

As for the second part, there are so many out there that are really challenging for it at the moment. I think Bring Me the Horizon and A Day to Remember are a pretty good yard stick for success at the moment, plus we’re all pretty big fans. There’s a lot of ways to answer this one, but to tell you the truth we’re just happy to be getting the chances we’re getting, every new opportunity we get is a win for us!

TFS - What bands have inspired you and helped create SCG’s unique sound?

Danny - We all listen to so many different types of music; so I guess that’s what has given us a diverse approach to what we’re doing.

Bands like Finch, Saosin, Thrice, Alexisonfire would seem like the obvious influences. But there’s a whole bunch of weird ass stuff that we listen to and it all contributes in one way or another! We caught Damian with the Metro Station album on his laptop while we were in the studio and I’m sure there’s a lot worse than that elsewhere!!

TFS - You guys are on your way up in the music industry, what advice could you offer young bands that look at you guys and want to be in your position and head where you are?

Danny - First of all, write your songs and practice until you can play them perfectly before you think about playing a show, get some on record to sell too! Then surround yourself with people who believe in you and the band as much as you do yourself and you’ve got a pretty good start! Most importantly, have fun, work hard at it and play ‘til you bleed at every show.

TFS - Finally, what bands do you know of at the moment that you can see climbing the ladder to success?

Danny - There’s a few great upcoming bands out there from the UK and overseas. Watch out for our buddies Yashin and Her Concept!

Check out our friends Shadows Chasing Ghosts at their myspace http://www.myspace.com/shadowschasingghosts

Me Vs Hero!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hailing from Northwestern parts of England, Me Vs Hero are one of the most exciting pop punk bands around just now. Since forming in August 2007 the band have worked tirelessly getting their name and music heard around the country, and having just been featured in Kerrang it looks like the hard work is starting paying off. Its been another good year for the band so far, with their popularity always growing they continue to be one of the most promising bands in the UK right now. We caught up with Oli a couple of months ago to find out what makes Me Vs Hero so special.

TFS - So you guys have a very unique mix of styles; how would describe your sound?

Oli - I'd describe Me vs Hero as a pop punk band with influences in hardcore and metal. I guess we fit into the "pop-core" or "easy core" thing. I see it as a mix of everything we're all mainly into, pop-punk stuff like New Found Glory, Set Your Goals, Hit The Lights, The Starting Line etc. The usual suspects. Then a few of us are really into stuff like As Blood Runs Black, August Burns Red etc. and then some of us listen to alot of hardcore like Champion, Casey Jones, Gorilla Biscuits, The Steal, Our Time Down Here etc. More and more bands are combining the whole pop-punk with beatdowns and gang vocals thing at the moment, its super super exciting to hear alot of rad bands coming out!

TFS - And on the 21st of this month you guys have a showcase gig; what should fans expectfrom this gig/your live performance in general?

Oli - TOTAL CARNAGE!!!! Haha!!! Just a real good time for everyone that's up for it. There's nothing more fun than writing songs, going out and playing them and having people react in a positive way to it. We try to have as much fun as possible on stage and get everyone into it so if you want to come down and have a good laugh then get on it! It's at The Roadhouse in Manchester and doors are nice and early at 6PM with a 9PM curfew for all you 9-5ers! Please try and make it to check out all the bands, Rumour Has It are main support, they're from Stoke and they're getting a good following around their hometown so check them out!!

TFS - Your band name is really something fresh and original (especially around the currentsea of "the" names at the moment); is therea story at all behind the name?

Oli - It was actually Alex (Tragically Alex passed away around a year ago, to read more about Alex visit Me Vs Hero's blog here) that came up with the name. The story is that when Sam and Alex's old band broke up Sam started writing stuff that eventually became Spice Weasel and Hand Me The Keys To The Massey. Alex wanted in on the band and had been listening to Walls Of Jericho. He mistook some of the lyrics and thought they said "IT'S ME VS HERO!!!!". I forget what the lyrics actually say but either way Sam and Alex were stoked on it, got me and Mike on board (we were still at uni in London at the time, me studying music performance, Mike studying law) and went from there!! Pook came into the picture about 9 months or so later when we decided Sam should just sing and not play guitar at the same time!!

TFS - You've recently spent some time recording up in wales; how did this go?

Oli - It has literally been amazing. Romesh (of Longwave Studios) is the man. He knew exactly what we were going for and pitched in on ideas that were literally 100% spot on. I think the songs still sound like us (beatdowns, gang vox etc), but they're alot tidier, more refined if you will. We just got the mixes back today and we're so so happy with how they've turned out. Seriously if any bands read this, hit up Romesh, he is so so good!!!

TFS - And was this recording for any specific future releases?

Oli - Well we're unsigned at the moment, so we're just working on getting material that we're really happy with at the moment and ramming it down as many peoples ears (in the nicest, most polite was possible of course!!!) as we can. We've got some awesome shows coming up in the next couple of months that we are literally so happy to be a part of. We're just going to keep moving forward as much as possible and getting the word out to as many people who will give us the time of day as we can!!!



TFS - Do you guys have any goals for the summer? Looking to visit/play many festivals?

Oli - Our goals for the Summer are to do nothing but go to work and keep pushing this band as much as possible. We've got a slot at Sonisphere Festival on August 1st. Words cannot describe how psyched we are to be playing this show. We're normally the guys on the other side of the barriers!!! We're also playing The Ataris' two UK dates. How we have ended up sharing the stage with a band that we literally grew up listening to is beyond me, to be honest I think i'll be completely star struck, but it's going to be super fun for definite!!!

TFS - And finally; which bands (other than yourselves of course!) do you think aredestined for big things this year?

Oli - Good question! Summerlin are getting alot of attention on Myspace at the moment, and quite rightly so. Check them out if you've not heard of them. Nice sugary pop punk from the North East with amazing choruses. Definitely ones to look out for. I'm also completely in love with a Southampton band called Our Time Down Here at the moment. They just finished recording a full-length that is going to come out on Banquet I believe. I cannot wait to hear it, just real fast hardcore done so so well.I've just realised they're both UK bands ha! Fireworks are blowing up in the States at the moment and are getting some real real good tours at the moment and they've put out a full length on Triple Crown Records that i'm completely in love with. They just write fantastic pop-punk songs. I am sitting patiently for a UK tour so I can go watch them!!

Thanks alot for asking these questions, it's been awesome answering them!!!

These guys are really awsome, if you havent already then go check them out at their myspace www.myspace.com/mevshero