GILBY CLARKE | PORTRAITS | 2024

I’d spoken to Gilby at some point during the tour to ask if he’d be up for doing a portrait shoot backstage and he was up for it. From that point on, I was always looking for a background, a location that would lend itself well to a guitarist portrait. A few shows in, at The Asylum in Birmingham, I spotted my scene. a flightcase with a light behind it. Time to go.

I walked into the dressing room and asked Gilby if he’d be up for a quick shoot. He grabbed his Gibson Les Paul and followed me into the corridor. The support band were on, and I was conscious that we had very little time. Being really honest, I wasn’t necessarily expecting to get anything usable, as I didn’t have a proper off camera flash, or light-shaping equipment - but we still had two more shows to go, so I had a plan B.

Gilby knew what to do immediately. He threw some poses by the flightcase, while I used the wall light as a hair light, and bounced an on camera flash off the ceiling behind me to fill Gilby in front.

Ten minutes. We did around ten minutes - then it was time to get on with the show. I spent a few more minutes with my brother, who had been sat on a sofa just out of frame when this went on, then made my excuses and put my guitar tech hat on again for Gilby’s set.

When it came to edit, I was so happy with the results. One of the shots has ended up becoming one of my favourite shots I’ve ever taken - not only because taking Gilby’s portrait was a big deal for the teenage Dave who bought Pawnshop Guitars on CD in 2005, but because I’d managed to get something usable with very little time and equipment.

If you attended any of the Alice Cooper shows featuring Gilby in early 2025, you may have spotted this one in the “Pick and autograph pack” that the AC band sell at the merch stand!

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