Glasgow - Scottish band WHITE recently set out to tour the U.K., with photographer Martin D Barker along for the ride. Together they documented the journey for Best New Bands. This was the first time the five-piece – comprised of singer Leo Condie, guitarists Hamish Fingland and Chris Potter, bassist Lewis Andrew, and drummer Kirstin Lynn – toured the United Kingdom, making the adventure all the more special. Kirstin Lynn penned a little tour diary to go along with Barker’s brilliant photographs:
A few weeks ago we completed our first U.K. tour, stretching from Inverness to Brighton with another eight stops in between. Blood, sweat and broken glass, these are five images from our time on the road, captured by our good friend and shadow, Martin D Barker.
Having played The Great Escape last year as one of our first English shows, we instantly fell a little bit in love with Brighton and its seaside nostalgia. It was a must for our tour, so when the sun came out for us, Leo got a bit giddy with his power-pink umbrella down the pier. During this snap the rest of us were setting up the stage at The Green Door Store. Catching the last light before the end of the day, the life of a frontman comes with its own set of challenges!
These two images were captured at our London show, which was one of many tour highlights. After a slight blimp in our day (more on that below), the Brewhouse was rammed, and we were super-hyped to finally hit the stage and smash it. These images were actually taken early on in the set, with Chris and I deteriorating from there on in. By the end of the set, we looked like we had been swimming lengths fully dressed. We didn’t have a hair in place, but we were happy.
Now onto the blimp, high winds in London threw a large metal gate through our van window during soundcheck. We had a show booked in Birmingham the next morning, followed by a festival in Amsterdam, so it very quickly became top priority to get this beast fixed. What you see is “Mission Patch Up,” after the show. Hamish was selected for this role as he had most to drink at this point and was least likely to feel any shards of glass… Not really, though thinking back this is probably true. No one was hurt during “Mission Patch Up,” and our sweet cardboard window lasted us a whole 150 miles. Who knew cardboard windows would be so warm either?
This last image is taken in Birmingham’s Rainbow Cellar on the last night of the tour. Finally reaching delirium, we found a pair of well-dressed mannequin legs at the side of the stage. We have no idea what they were doing there, but for a tired mind and a broken body they seemed to provide hours of fun. Looking at this image, they’re almost a direct replica of Leo, I never noticed that before…
Jumping on our first UK tour was something we had all been waiting for; looking back on it, it was better than we could have anticipated, and we’d do it all again tomorrow. We have an album to be getting on with, so tomorrow will have to wait until May. Come and see us when we hit the road again with our friends Baby Strange. It’s going to be a riot.
Follow WHITE on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Photo credit: Martin D Barker
Sarah Hess
At the age of six, Sarah Hess discovered True Blue by Madonna. This resulted in her spending hours in front of the bathroom mirror with a hairbrush microphone, belting out "La Isla Bonita" off key. Her love for music only intensified over the years thanks to her parents; her mother exposed Sarah to The Jackson Five and had her hustling to the Bee Gees, while her father would play her albums like 'Pet Sounds' and 'Some Girls' from start to finish, during which he'd lecture on and on about the history of rock & roll. Sarah would eventually stumble upon rap and hip-hop, then punk and alternative, and fall madly in love with Jeff Buckley and film photography.
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
After attending The School of the Art Institute in Chicago, Sarah went on to study education at Dominican University, earning a degree in history. When not teaching, writing, or taking in a show, she is most likely to be found with a camera to her eye or hanging out in a darkroom.
You can follow Sarah Hess on twitter at @Sarahhasanh and view her music photography on her website: smhimaging.com.
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