An intimate look at the human side of rock stardom
Having arrived early, I sat in the artist catering tent with my second coffee of the morning, awaiting Sophie and her team’s arrival. When people think of festivals like Download, they think of rock superstars, the glamour of playing to over 100,000 fans, and the adoration that these individuals receive, but rarely do they think of the human element and the logistics that go into performing at this high level. From my vantage point, I saw Sophie, husband Chris, manager Laura, and the rest of the team wheel their suitcases into the artist area and proceed to their dressing room. This was Sophie’s first time performing her own material at a festival. Since November, she had played three significant shows in the UK: firstly the 500-capacity Underworld in Camden, supporting Those Damn Crows in Cardiff, and then supporting The Warning at the O2 Brixton, both having a 5,000 capacity. Download, however, presented a much larger audience.
While finishing my coffee, I saw Chris disappear back to the van before Laura invited me to join the party near their dressing room. The dressing room was located next to fellow newcomer Kim Dracula and opposite stalwarts The Darkness. Sitting at the picnic table surrounded by members of the band and support team, Sophie was already getting ready for the day. As not only a talented guitarist but also a YouTube star, there was more going on than with some other bands. In addition to myself, her longtime videographer and photographer Nate was there to capture the day, documenting all aspects from backstage to onstage performance. It didn’t take long for Nate to start filming, building up his bank of footage of the events. Next to me, Nathan James of Inglorious was going through his vocal rituals. In with Sophie getting ready was longtime friend Marisa of Marisa and the Moths. The two donned their stage outfits and applied their makeup before Sophie emerged and Nate was on hand to record the moment. I too took my opportunity to start taking backstage photos. For those of us who have played on stage, we know of the effects of preshow nerves, and I assumed that was because I personally knew my own limitations. What I was surprised by was that even with the most talented musicians, this emotion still holds true. Taking a step back, playing this iconic festival is a big deal, and the increase from a 5,000 crowd to the Donington crowd is immense. Some members of the team spoke of their nerves with the step up in magnitude, but having seen them play a number of times, I had no doubt that they would perform brilliantly on stage alongside Sophie.
As with some of the team, this was my first time working at Download. My emotions were high and I wasn’t even performing, so it was hard to understand what these guys were feeling emotionally. While everything was still calm, I took the time to get some photos of the band to serve as a memento for this first for many of us. As we got closer to leaving for the performance, Nathan changed into his stage clothes, the guys put on their eyeliner, and Sophie put on her boots. Now towering over me, she posed with Nathan and her guitar for some final shots before we boarded the minibus to the Opus stage. In the bus, Sophie posted a video to her fans on social media to remind them that she was on at 12:05.
Upon arriving, we met with Chris who, along with Pete, Sophie’s front-of-house engineer, had been working the whole time setting up all the instruments and equipment for the performance. Chris quickly changed his top, and in the background, Sophie spotted her parents so left by the side stage door into the crowd to greet them. After a few photos for sentimental sake, it was back to work. Climbing the stairs to the backstage area of the Opus stage, we poked our heads out and saw a huge crowd gathered to see Sophie. One thing I had realized since I started working with her was that she had a hugely dedicated fan base, and I’m not sure she needed the call to arms video as the fans were already there in their tens of thousands.
This event took place a mere two weeks after Chris and Sophie wed, and they looked every bit the couple as Sophie held Chris still so she could apply his eyeliner. The pair had an embrace and posed for a few more shots before Nate gathered the band together for a pre-show picture. As 12:05 approached, I moved into position in the pit area and was joined by my fellow photographers from a variety of publications. The crowd behind me was clearly anticipating what was to come and erupted as Sophie’s Top Gun theme intro started. Sophie took to the stage wearing her aviators and threw them into the crowd at the end of the song before launching into “Battleground” from her “Delusions EP.” The photographers around me were all moving to get their best shots and dodging and weaving to avoid getting in front of each other’s lenses. This intricate dance was commonplace and was helped by the spacious area at the front of the stage.
After the end of the vocal-less track, Sophie called Marisa to the stage to warm applause. Waving to the crowd, Marisa made her entrance to sing the pairs’ collaboration “Won’t You Come.” Christian Rivers, Sophie’s guitarist, and bassist Iman moved around the stage as Chris pounded on the drums. I moved around in front of the band taking my last few shots as I knew that at the end of the song I would be swapping with Nate and taking to the stage to photograph from a different vantage point. As the track came to an end, the photographers left after the now traditional third song, and I made my way through the side gate and up the stairs to backstage. Looking from the back, I was in awe of the crowd that these fantastic musicians were playing to. The most I had played to was 600 people and that was nerve-wracking; this was on a different scale.
Nathan entered the stage to replace Marisa for the rest of the set and started with “Let It Hurt,” originally sung by Chris Robertson of Black Stone Cherry.
Moving around the stage, I was able to take pictures of the band as they performed, capturing the interactions between the band, especially when Iman and Christian gathered around Chris. I love being able to photograph from the stage as it gives a different perspective and also enables you to see the enjoyment of those watching.
After a couple of songs, I moved back to the front of the stage in time for Sophie to cover Metallica’s “Enter Sandman.” The crowd was in full voice for this, singing the song in its entirety. The last time I heard anything like this was Tom Morello and the crowd sang “Killing in the Name Of.”
The set was drawing to a close; just one song remained. “Do or Die,” which was becoming Sophie’s closing song. It was magnificently delivered, and just like that, the set was over a mere 25 minutes after its start.
At the end of the set, Sophie made her way down to the barrier to greet and take photos with her fans. One thing that always strikes me is how generous Sophie is with her time. Only a few artists came to the barrier after their sets, but none that I saw went the full length of the barrier and stopped for photos. I handed her the spare copies of her set lists, and she handed them out to give a keepsake to those who wanted them. After a period of time, Sophie spotted some friends at the end of the barrier and welcomed them. Chris then did his own lap of the front of the crowd.
You would think that having completed their inaugural Download set, it would be time to sit back and enjoy, watching the rest of the artists, but nothing could be further from the truth. After a brief savoring of the moment, the work started again. Chris and Pete were straight off to pack down and load the van while the minibus took the rest of us back to the artist area.
Upon arrival, we moved to the press area so that Sophie could commence the busy afternoon of interviews for various publications, including Total Rock, promoting her headline performance at Pride Rocks in August. After many interviews, Sophie finally got to make her way back to the dressing room to eat an ice cream with hubby Chris and reflect on the day. I made my way back to say goodbye to the pair before making my way back into the festival and photographing the other acts.
I have worked with artists for many years, and it always astounds me the difference between the on stage and off stage. On stage, Sophie is one of the most talented musicians I have ever met, but as she admits herself, she suffers from “Imposter Syndrome.” She is one of the kindest, friendliest people I have ever met and gives time to her fans and is so appreciative of their support. She is a far cry from the traditional view of a rock star but is most certainly a superstar, and I am sure that this will be the first of many big festival performances.
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