Miscellaneous - Godwits 1

  by Matt Williams

published: 22 / 3 / 2008

intro

Matt Williams photographs indie/folk act the Godwits at rehearsal in violin and viola player Will's home

The Godwits photos nearly didn't happen. The morning of the shoot I woke up in Brighton. I was meant to be in Wiltshire. I wasn't sure if we had the correct film for the day. The band had, however, clubbed together and sourced some for me. After re-creating my own Grand Prix across the south coast I arrive at Will's house four hours later than planned. Shooting a band during rehearsal is a joyful task. A period of time in which the band are introverted and focused on their task at hand. Repeating songs, changing passages. It is a wonderful opportunity to document musicians in a setting that the public aren't privy to. Their music is still performed with volume and vigour. There could be an audience of thousands for all Peter knows. His soul delivered, with every rendition, haunting lyrics and beautiful tunes. Eventually I have command of their set. They foolishly ask me to tell them to repeat songs if I'm not getting the photos I want. I treat this the same as on those occasions in which I play a song over and over, asking them to repeat performances at whim. I'm hooked. Once isn't enough. I want to hear their music again and again. I see them a week later at the Hoxton Bar and Grill in Shoreditch. The spacious stage in London's trendy nightspot is a far cry from the intimate family home setting I met them in. I pre-empt the show by helping Peter's girlfriend get drunk, oblivious to the crowd building in the main hall. They fill the stage with ease, delivering their set to an enthusiastic crowd, who scream for more at the end. I leave straight after their slot, I'm not interested in seeing anyone else. I don't believe the Godwits can be bettered this evening.

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