It’s not a pirate copy, but a complimentary one as the cover and internal photos are ones I took of Sean when he played at the Mill Sessions in Gatehouse of Fleet about this time last year.
It was the middle of winter and dark outside. I was given a large empty room, but I only had one studio light with me, and I had about half an hour before he had to be downstairs for his performance. I switched off the overhead lights and shot by illumination of the single light, creating stark shadows and a deep moody atmosphere.
Fortunately for me Sean was less self-conscious than most people I photograph, which meant I was able to get several shots I was really pleased with. I edited the best 3, put them on my blog and sent him copies. I was delighted when he started using them as his Facebook profile pics.
About 3 months ago I was contacted by Sean’s manager, Stuart, saying they wanted to use my photos on the new album. Over the past couple of years, Sean’s profile has been on the rise as he’s played at major festivals and made various radio appearances. Stuart has high hopes this will be the breakthrough album to propel Sean to a much wider audience.
It’s a great album. My personal favourite is track 10, Coal Not Dole.
The rest of the world won’t be able to buy the album until March 26th – 12 months to the day after the TUC ‘March for an Alternative’ protest, when hundreds of thousands of people united on the streets of London against the government’s austerity measures and in support of a fairer society.
The first song on the album, Stand Up, is about this protest – here’s the video for it
He's booked to play at the Mill Sessions again this May - I'm really looking forward to it.
