They say you should never meet your heroes. Sometimes that’s true, other times it can close too many doors if you don’t.
Hi, I’m Lee Allen and music photography gets me that bit closer to my heroes.
From the moment I lost my jeans in the pit watching Guns N Roses at Wembley, I wanted to be a rockstar. Whilst I have the black uniform, facial hair and charisma all down, the musical talent is lacking. I figured this was the next best thing.
I’ve been photographing bands since 2002. Learning to shoot in darkly lit, electrically charged venues is where I learned my craft. It’s exciting knowing you have 3 songs to capture the essence, energy and atmosphere of that band in that moment.
I haven’t had the chance to photograph all my heroes yet. The bucket list is still very much open with the likes of Iron Maiden, Slipknot and Rancid top of the list. Thankfully my journey has led me to document and photograph one of my all time favourite bands, The Hold Steady. For that reason I believe you should always strive to meet your heroes.
picture by Lisa Jane Photography.