Today, in our ‘Artists Corner’, ICC Digital brings you yet another amazing photograph from the book “Rebel Song; Faces of Irish Music” by the acclaimed photographer and filmmaker, Andrew Catlin.
This iconic photograph is of a young Bob Geldof, (frontman for the band ‘The Boomtown Rats’), captured here at “Live Aid’, which Bob organised (with Midge Ure), in 1985.
This photo has undoubtedly been seen around the world. It’s a fabulous shot capturing a sense of freedom, hope and inspiration.
Some words from the book…
Bob Geldof “We’re looking at the singular condition of poverty. All the other individual problems spring from that condition… doesn’t matter if it’s death, aid, trade, AIDS, famine, instability, governance, corruption or war. All of that is poverty. Our problem is that everybody tries to heal each of the individual aspects of poverty, not poverty itself.”
“Rebel Song; Faces of Irish Music” is a collection of photographs of some of the most important musicians who changed the face of Irish Music into the international force it is today. With the words of Irish song’s, quotes from the musicians, and written commentaries on Irish history and on British colonial rule in Ireland, published throughout – what emerges is a powerful and sublime book which charts the evolution from Irish folk, into rebellious Rock, Pop and Protest Songs and Punk, which burst into the sounds and voice of a nation’s resistance and exploded onto a global stage.
What’s so extraordinary about the book is that it’s author, photographer Andrew Catlin, is an Englishman, who knew nothing about Irish history at the outset. While producing the book Catlin under-went a journey of discovery to find the connection between Irish music, the history of Ireland, and the passion, power and intensity of some of the greatest Irish songwriters and performers of the last 50 years.
Catlin says “Many of the references in Irish songs – people and places that in Ireland carry a heavy weight of history – have no meaning at all in England. You feel the strength of emotion, but unrecognised names seem quaint or unimportant. It can be shocking when you find a familiar song is about a shameful episode of British brutality.”
Some of the musicians featured in the book include Shane MacGowan, Sinéad O’Connor, Bono, Christy Moore, Finbar Furey, Feargal Sharkey, Damien Dempsey, Phil Lynott and Rory Gallagher.
To buy the book “Rebel Songs; faces Of Irish Music” go to www.andrewcatlin.com @andrewcatlin @andrewcatlinphotography
About Andrew Catlin:
Andrew Catlin is an internationally acclaimed music photographer and filmmaker. He has photographed some of the world’s greatest songwriters, musicians and celebrities, including Pattie Smythe, Sting, Morrisey, Kurt Cobain. He’s had a long-standing working relationship with Shane MacGowan, Bono and Sinéad O’Connor and he has previously had three books published, ‘Shane MacGowan – Three Score’, ‘Sinéad O’Connor – 48’ and ‘The Jesus and Mark Chain’.
The book “Rebel Song: Faces of Irish Music” accompanied the major exhibition of the same name, recently held at ‘Baker Mamonova Gallery, Kino-Teatr’ in St Leonards On Sea.
