In my previous posts, I’ve already talked to you about some great photographers who worked with Placebo during their career. Today, I’m going to introduce you to another one, ๐ฒ๐๐๐๐ ๐พ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐.
The series of iconic Placebo photos, one of which is shared below, were taken by Kevin in London on ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐๐๐.
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| Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg, 1998 |
๐ฅThere’s a specific reason I decided to talk to you about this picture now. On ๐๐๐ฒ ๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ก, ๐๐๐๐, Kevin Westenberg’s photography ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ entitled ‘๐๐๐๐๐’ runs at ๐จ๐๐๐̀๐ ๐ฉ. shop on Marylebone High Street in London, and this photo, beautifully framed, is proudly presented to the audience๐
As for his work with Placebo, the photographer recalled:
๐ข"In their time, one of the most exciting LIVE bands around. Not Britpop. Not RAWWWWK. Some sort of hybrid which manifests through Brian especially when he opens his mouth in interviews. That stage presence and energy radiating from these guys was infectious. This was and still may just be reflected in their fan base who are rabid in the best way possible. I was hired numerous times over the years not only by the music press but also by Hut Records and by the band themselves. The goal always was to elevate the imagery as high as possible given the budget limitations and the limitations of my own skill set from back in these days of chaos. Over the years, we didn’t always get it right due to various extenuating external events but when it worked well, It was absolutely great. Always happy with those times. This is essentially a microcosm of what my job was, creating these icon moments to have the public notice and then purchase the music. Of all the shots we took over the years, this set were for me, peak Placebo. This series were the most direct, graphic and memorable of all. This was part of the massive shoot we did for their album ‘Without You I’m Nothing’ which was a breakthrough.”
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| Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg, 1998 |
⭐️Indeed, it wasn’t Kevin Westenberg’s only photoshoot with Placebo. For example, he did a perfect job for ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐ค ๐๐๐ซ๐ค๐๐ญ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ album and singles sleeve artwork. Also, you should remember some great pictures of ๐ฉ๐๐๐๐ wearing his ‘๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐’ top from the same time.
I hope it’s going to be interesting for you to learn more about the artist.
⭐️๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐, an American-born, London-based photographer, is renowned for his provocative, electrifying images of world-class musicians, artists. and movie stars for over 25 years. His technique of lighting, colour, and composition has helped to produce his own unique visual style. This electricity, however, has its origin in Kevin’s lifelong romance with the adventure of rock and roll.
▪️Meeting Elvis Presley on the film set of ’It Happened at the World’s Fair’ at the age of 4, ensured that Kevin would always be deeply moved by music and musicians. He grew up listening to the fabulous artists of the 60’s and 70’s as The Stones, The Who, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, and Bob Marley. Westenberg joined his generation in the psychedelic exploration of music, life, and light. A decade of passion and decadence helped inspire a photographic style. Architecture school brought a new dimension to his life and after 8 years, he gained a master’s degree. But British punk in the early eighties was irresistible to him and he moved to Europe. He bought his first camera in Denmark, started practicing on fashion models in Barcelona and then, moved to London where he’s been based since 1983.
▪️Westenberg is self-taught and learned his trade working for New Musical Express and Melody Maker mainly throughout the late 80’s and 90’s documenting amongst others the UK Britpop bands. The breakthrough came in 1993-1994 with the release of Sting’s Ten Summoner’s Tales and Mary J Blige’s Share My World. These two album covers changed the perception of Kevin’s work worldwide and thus began a run of 20 years of commissions and great opportunities.
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| Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg, 1998 |
▪️For the last 25 years, he created stunning photographs of Radiohead, White Stripes, Jane’s Addiction, Sting, Bjork, Nirvana, Jeff Buckley, Nine Inch Nails, The Pixies, Michael Stipe, U2, Mary J. Blige, R.E.M, Black Sabbath, Massive Attack, BB King, The Rolling Stones, PJ Harvey, Marilyn Manson, Placebo, Oasis, Tom Jones, Soundgarden, Bon Jovi and Coldplay among many others.
▪️Also included are hundreds of album, single, magazine and book covers from all over the world.
▪️Kevin has also worked with creatives from the performing arts such as David Lynch, Luc Besson, The Coen Brothers, Billy Bob Thornton, Sean Penn, Jean Luc Godard, Ethan Hawke, Nicole Kidman, Tom Stoppard, and the late Alan Rickman.
(๐๐๐ข๐๐๐: ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐โ๐๐ฃ๐.๐๐๐, ๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ .๐๐๐)
⭐️๐จ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐
๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐๐...⭐️
๐ธ“๐๐๐๐๐, the new exhibition, serves as a reintroduction of the Westenberg oeuvre of images for a new audience at the special invitation of the French clothing line Agnes B. Sixteen years after ‘Idyll Worship’, Westenberg’s debut exhibition, introduced the work to the world, Technological advancements of scanning and modern printing methods, have now been implemented to create a whole new series of photographs from across all eras. Coming soon to the Agnes B Marylebone shop arranged over three floors in the heart of London. Additionally, the never before seen Polaroid’s, add a new depth and historic appreciation of the work and it’s place within the history of Rock & Roll.”
๐ข๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ : “Unveiled here for the first time, the full poster image for the upcoming collaborative exhibition at the Agnes B. shop in the heart of Marylebone, London. The main image of the 30 Polaroid’s, which I’m calling the Polaroid’s Wall is a new addition to the repertoire of images. Thousands of polaroid’s which I had kept in shoeboxes from the very beginning were scanned and edited down to these 30. There was no one particular reason for these 30; just to provide an overview of the variety of artists I had the pleasure of working with over the years. […]
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| Photo credit: Kevin Westenberg, 1998 |
๐ข๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐ง ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ : “The [opening] night was indeed a full circle experience given back in mid-80’s I started my photo life in a tiny one room studio flat on Marylebone Lane, now long gone. The photos themselves fit in perfectly with the clothing and general atmosphere even better than I and the staff expected. We’re all thrilled.”
(@kevinwestenberg IG)
If you live in London or are lucky enough to be accidentally visiting the city these days, don’t miss the exhibition! And share your impression with us!๐
I wish I could attend it myself.
⭐️I think, listening to the song from the same era as the photoshoot can make your read more pleasant. So, I’m choosing ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐๐๐ ๐๐ from ๐๐ข๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ฎ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐’๐ฆ ๐๐จ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ , "a thrilling record […] made by freaks, for freaks.” (๐๐๐ธ, ๐ท๐๐๐๐๐๐๐ 1998)
This performance was recorded at the Octagon Centre, Sheffield, UK, on October 17th, 1998.
❓Is there anyone of you who’s been at this show, by the way?
๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐จ - ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ฎ ๐๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฒ ๐๐, ๐๐๐ญ๐๐ ๐จ๐ง ๐๐๐ง๐ญ๐ซ๐, ๐๐ก๐๐๐๐ข๐๐ฅ๐, ๐๐๐๐
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https://bit.ly/3MTDlBqPost by Olga
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