Mass of the Fermenting Dregs – Gorilla, Manchester. 16th March 2024.

I don’t remember how exactly I discovered Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, but according to Last.FM, the first time I actively listened to them was on Monday the 13th of August, 2018. I could always concoct some kind of romantic story, but in reality, the truth is probably just that they popped up on a Spotify playlist when I was searching for alternative Japanese music.

Whatever the origin, I came to really like them, and was fortunate enough to get the chance to see the band not once, but twice when I was in Tokyo in 2019. I wanted to take the opportunity whilst I could, as it seemed unlikely that they would ever make it all the way over to Scotland. Fast forward five years, and when they announced their first ever UK tour, I decided to get tickets for the Manchester date, as well as Glasgow. I did briefly consider going to Leeds as well, but felt like that would have been excessive, though in hindsight I wish I had.

As things turned out, I ended up as the photographer for the Manchester show. This meant schlepping my camera gear down south on the train, but it was definitely worth the crippling spinal injuries. I’ve shot hundreds of gigs over the past 20 odd years, but they are few and far between at this point. Now, I only come out of retirement for those bands that I really love. Mass of the Fermenting Dregs are one of them.

The venue itself was pretty cool. Not only was it surprisingly big (550ish capacity!), it also had a modern industrial feel, hidden away in old railway tunnels – similar to Glasgow’s Arches (RIP). However, it was a bit of a nightmare from a picture taking perspective, as there was no photo pit. In other words, the crowd were right up against the front of the stage, which made things way more difficult. Bizarrely, the lack of barrier also meant that the front few rows were actually behind the speakers too, but anyway. That’s neither here nor there. The staff were very pleasant and accommodating, helping me get access to the sides, and letting me stand on some stairs at the back for a better vantage point (thank god for the 85mm!), but ultimately I knew that the only way I was going to get the kind of pictures that I wanted was to somehow work my way to the very front. That is never fun, as people (quite rightfully), aren’t all that inclined to lose the spot they’ve been queuing in the rain for to some weirdo with a camera. Suddenly, I was remembering all of the reasons that I didn’t make this a habit…

In the end, it all worked out though. My battle-hardened experience from dealing with similar tricky situations served me well. Being nice and friendly to people is often the not-so-secret key needed to unlock many doors – and a simple fact that most photographers seem to be completely oblivious to.

The venue’s lighting was particularly good, which was a blessing. That remained the case even for the picture of the crowd after the gig ended, which I somehow got roped into taking. Just as well really, as I didn’t have a flashgun (!).

The last gig I shot was back in July of 2023, and coincidentally, it was also a Japanese act: Haru Nemuri. I had just gotten the Sony A7 IV at that point, and since then have largely just used it for video, rather than photos. The complexity of the features in comparison to the old 5Ds that I used to use for this kind of thing is pretty staggering, and there were a few times I accidentally knocked a button and changed some obscure setting without realising, which was more than a bit frustrating (to be fair, that could also be partly down to the pre-gig tequilas). Either way, I still came away with more shots than I could ever share in a single blog, and I’m pretty pleased with how they turned out. It would be easy to get carried away and post them all, especially as I love the band so much, but I will resist.

I had forgotten how much fun shooting gigs can be, especially when it’s for a band that you genuinely like. I’m really glad that Masu Dore finally made it over to the UK for their own headline shows, and that they’ve had such big turn-outs. Hopefully that means that this might become a regular thing, and who knows – maybe they’ll need a dedicated tour photographer next time. Natsuko, you’ve got my number.