Matt Palmer’s passion for live music and photography took him from shooting in small, sweaty clubs to the massive stages of festivals like Big Day Out.
Now the award-winning photographer presents the best of his work in the stunning exhibition Images of Note. It spans six years of live music in Australia, in Brisbane and the Gold Coast. It features music legends Iggy Pop, Pearl Jam and Metallica along with some of Australia’s biggest names, from Nick Cave to Powderfinger and Robert Forster of The Go-Betweens, and captures future stars in the ascendant like Gotye and Paramore. If this was a festival, it would be the line-up of a lifetime.
Palmer’s first solo exhibition opens after a massive year in 2013, winning four national and 10 international photographic awards. Seven of these were for photojournalism awarded to his live music imagery. He now has a burgeoning career applying his talents from travel photography to his prize-winning wedding portraiture.
Palmer has photographed more than 400 bands and artists and his photographs have featured in Australia and overseas in publications such as Rolling Stone, Rave and Australian Guitar Magazine.
“I love the energy and charisma of live music and this exhibition sees it through my eyes,’’ Palmer says. “I have so many unforgettable memories of live music, from giving Jacob Stone (Bluejuice) a ride on my shoulders mid-song in a busy photo pit at Sounds of Spring to being spat on by Iggy Pop and Yolandi Visser (Die Antwoord) on the same day at Big Day Out.
“Images of Note is my farewell to music photography. Everyone is passionate about music, the performers, the fans, the photographers and this exhibition celebrates that.’’
The free exhibition at Coorparoo’s Foto Frenzy opens at 6:30pm on February 28 with entertainment by Brisbane songwriters Seja Vogel (Sekiden, Regurgitator) and Danny Widdicombe (The Wilson Pickers).
For more information visit www.imagesofnote.com.au
Images Of Note | February 28 – March 20
Venue: Coorparoo’s Foto Frenzy – www.fotofrenzy.com.au
Opening Night: 6:30pm, February 28
Charity Auction: 2:30pm, March 15
Exhibition Website: www.imagesofnote.com.au
Gallery Website: www.fotofrenzy.com.au
Facebook event page – www.facebook.com/events/205640242948169/