Devilskin
18th November 2016
Vector Arena, Auckland, New Zealand
Photography and words by Doug Peters.
It was with great excitement that I found myself standing in front of ten thousand people about to shoot one of New Zealand’s most divisive bands. There is seemingly no middle ground with this band, with fans quick to name them the best thing to come out of New Zealand since the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, while their detractors take great delight in telling the world their pure hatred of them. Yes, I was about to shoot Devilskin as they supported Disturbed on their only New Zealand concert.
It was Devilskin’s first concert since releasing their new album “Be Like The River”, (just that morning it had been announced that it had debuted at number one in the New Zealand Top 40 album Charts in front of such names as Leonard Cohen, Elvis, and Adele – a truly remarkable feat indeed!) so the anticipation was high for the fans to hear the new songs as well as all their favourites. Minutes before the start the crowd began chanting “Devilskin! Devilskin! Devilskin!”, amping up those of us in the photo pit about to shoot (something that I’ve never witnessed for a support act before), and all of a sudden they were on stage tearing the roof off.
Despite what the haters may say, Devilskin put on an amazing live performance and certainly showed everyone that night what a true New Zealand rock band sounds like. You guys have made a fan out of me, and for that I thank you! Congratulations on the number one album, you absolutely deserve it!
Equipment: Canon EOS 1D MkIV, Canon EF 70-200mm f2.8L IS, Sigma EX 20mm f1.8
Did you catch this amazing performance at Vector Arena? Or have you seen Devilskin at another one of their shows? Tell me about it in the comments below!
For more information on Devilskin you can check out their website, or follow them on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
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