Slummin Angels have been booked to play this gig for ages. Only 10 days ago it was announced that Pete Doherty has headlining and the price went up from £3 to £20. It was a difficult evening for my diary, with Little Fish, The Lovebirds and the Hyenas all playing in London and Ghostcat playing in Brighton (probably too far for a weeknight). The opportunity to see Pete Doherty in a small venue and to photograph this special gig for the Slummin Angels tips the balance.
I'm not sure whether I would have had a problem getting a camera in as no-one really seemed to check, but Slummin Angels have made sure my name is down to take pictures and I get a stamp on each hand which may mean I'm a photographer (or may be a spontaneous joke by the person weilding the inkpad).
Slummin Angels are playing first support around 11pm. The stage at the Rhythm Factory is quite long and thin. Fortunately the band are around so I can find out where the two girls are going to stand (the drum kit is a big hint as to where Matt will be). The early bands have a different set up with a mike in the centre. The band before Slummin Angels have the stage re-arranged with two mikes 1 left, 1 right. This is the setup I was prepared for, and preparation is needed in a busy gig like this. I stand in the middle so that no-one is blocked by mikes or people. Due to the now expectant crowd I can't expect to be able to move around once they start. I'm well situated as it turns out and my new 30mm lens is ideal for full length pics. In this sort of gig most of the work in getting good pictures is making sure you're in a good spot  (and getting a camera into the venue). Fortunately the lights are pretty good too (a little to yellow to be ideal, but nice and bright).

There's a bit of a wait before Pete appears. I've never seen him before, and I'm not familiar with his work. I have had mixed reports about him. One friend said he has a great stage presence and the other friend said he was awful (these reports were not from the same gig). He rather reminds me of Tony Hancock (which is not a bad thing, but a bit of a surprise). He keeps emphasising that he has a set list and his stage manner is indeed compelling and natural. At someone in the crowd asks him to sing happy birthday to Natalie; he says he has a set list and Happy Birthday isn't on it. Later they shout again and he sings Happy Birthday to Natalie. Towards the end he tells a story of how he was watching Slummin Angel's set and someone came up to him saying 'hello Pete'. He didn't know him. So Pete says "the're alright" referring to Slummin Angels. The other guy says "Yes, but they're trying too hard". Pete says to the audience "You just can't win can you".
He probably plays for an hour before asking if anyone is coming tomorrow. Some people say yes. "See you tomorrow then" and leaves the stage. It is now 1.30 and we have not noticed the earthquake which 'shook Britain' at 0056. The first band were on at around 8.45. Its been a good evening and worth struggling home on 3 nightbuses